Need to Kill
by kouri
Summary: Chapter 22 up! AU Black Dawn. A well known assassin group that keeps Japan's streets clean of criminals and politicians who elude the law's grasp. What happens when the legendary assassin Battousai joins the ranks? Pairings BxKxK, SxM, AxM. R&R please!
1. Prologue: Need to Kill

Disclaimer: Wargh! RK and WK are not mine! 

A/N: *Muah* Thanks to everyone who reviewed for Chapter 19; all your questions will be answered when Chapter 20 goes up, for now, this is a tiny treat for ya'll. A lil' prologue titled after the name of this fic. Enjoy!! 

Prologue: Need to Kill 

You have heard of them before. 

Numerous rumours of those who work under the cover of darkness to bring forth more black sins; illegal drugs, illegal weapons, illegal 'slave' auctions: those who commit wrongs against the other naïve members of society. 

Of these deeds you may see little, and you may see much. Who is to say what is real in the newspapers and what is not? Believe what you will, but they continue to dirty the already jaded world with filth and blood. 

Yet, for every one of these criminals who exist, others who use the cover of darkness to bring a stop to these wrongs live. 

_They_ are the ones who hide in the shadows, like watchful predators, keeping an eye on the Underworld and their doings; _they_ are the ones who bring the beasts to justice; the ones who are dead to the world, but hunt those who dare lift their hands to hurt innocents. In silence they lie, until the time comes to deliver the filth to their rightful ends. 

_They _are the people who keep us safe everyday when the law cannot protect us from those who seek to harm for their own pleasure. _They _are the ones who have suffered more than any of us could bear_; they _are the ones who shed their own tears, sweat and blood, for nothing more than **_our sake_** so that a better tomorrow can exist, so that we will be safe from the horrors of the cruel world's reality. 

But their work continues to be unseen; we go on as we always have, taking our lives, safety, happiness for granted while these things go on right under our feet; we thank them not for what they have done for us, what they have done for society. Still, they continue to walk among us, unhindered, never bothered by the fact that they carry out a thankless job that brings them more suffering and pain than can be imagined. They create masks to hide behind, scintillating walls of ice and fire to shroud around their guilt and sorrow; just as human as you or I, but performing tasks fit to be asked of the gods, or more specifically, what Shinigami are said to perform. 

This story is but one tale that exists among many. 

This story revolves around a group of our modern-day pseudo-Shinigami. 

A tapestry that is woven around love, guilt, passion, sorrow and angst. 

A tale about people who are brought together by one, sole common need. 

The Need to Kill. 

A/N: Love? Hate? Review then XD See ya'll in Chapter 20 soon!


	2. Chapter 1: The Burning Fire

Chapter 1: The Burning Fire 

Disclaimer: Much as I would love to own Rurouni Kenshin, it does not belong to me, but to Watsuki Nobuhiro-sensei. The concept of Weiβ Kreuz does not belong to me either, and the rights go to Project Weiβ and Koyasu Takehito and all other companies that it belongs to. 

A/N: Heyo peeps! This is my first RuroKen fanfic ever, so please be nice ^^; ne? It's a bit of a Weiβ Kreuz-ish fanfic, where Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano, Soujirou and Aoshi are assassins working for the Ishinshishi. Modern day AU of course. This fic has a few hints of the supernatural in it, or at least paranormal abilities, as you'll see soon enough. In this fic, Soujirou and Kaoru are twins, and Aoshi is their cousin. Kenshin and some of the other characters will show up in the next chapter, but anyhow, I hope that you enjoy this story! Ooh~ for the prelude as to why Kenshin became Battousai, please read my other fic that's floating around somewhere, called (temporarily) **Fallen Path**. Kudos people, and enjoy the fic! 

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " " 

~*~ 

Tokyo, 1997 

The fire roared high, flames licking the sky in the darkness of the night, illuminating all the other buildings around the burning one a dull red. Many neighbours had gathered around, watching the scene in horror, and the sound of sirens announced the arrival of the fire brigade and ambulance. The most pitiful figure was that of the crying girl with midnight locks who was being supported on either side by two men. Kaoru sobbed loudly, hanging on to both Soujirou and Aoshi; her only living relatives left now that her father had been burned alive in the Kamiya dojo. The two young men tried to calm their distraught friend to no avail, as she cried even harder into her hands. 

"Why?" she sobbed, "Why did they have to do this?" Her running tears glistened on her cheeks as they ran down the sides of her face, her eyes puffy and red. 

"Sou-chan…Aoshi…why? He was only fighting for what he believed in…" Kaoru would have fallen to the ground if her twin hadn't caught her in his arms. 

His eyes were brimming with unfallen tears; he had to be strong for her, for him, for them. He held his sister close to him as she cried into his shirt, her small frame wracked with sobs, while his eyes met Aoshi's. The older man's face was pale, the expression on his face stricken; he rarely showed any emotion, but this event had moved it all to the surface. 

The three young adults had been out on a midnight mission, but had returned to find the dojo starting to burn up, and had immediately rushed inside, only to find that there was blood splattered all over the walls, and Kaoru's father was bleeding profusely from numerous wounds; his eyes were closed. Kaoru was at her father's side instantly, holding his bloody hand to her cheek, and Kamiya Koshijirou's eyes slipped open slowly, the light in his eyes beginning to dull. 

"Father…" she whispered. 

"Kaoru…" Blood trickled from his lips as he spoke, smiling for her sake. "I wish you didn't have to go through this…I am so sorry to have put you through this…" 

Kaoru shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "Father, don't talk anymore, you've lost a lot of blood…please wait until the ambulance---" 

He cut her off. "The ambulance won't be able to do anything, daughter." He turned his eyes towards Aoshi and Soujirou, who lingered near him and Kaoru. 

"Aoshi, Soujirou, please take care of her." The men nodded. 

"We will, Kamiya-san." 

"Yes, father." 

Koshijirou turned his eyes back to Kaoru. 

"Leave now, Kaoru. Live on, and fight for the ideals that we believe in." She shook her head slowly, tears falling from her eyes onto his face. 

"Not like this, father…not like this!" 

His tone was stern. "You must, Kaoru! Think of all the people who would suffer if not for our work!" 

Her anguished eyes met his, and her grip on his hand tightened; he winced inwardly at the pain. "And you think that the pain we suffer is less than theirs, father? So many of _us_ have died for the sake of protecting them! Why do we…why do we!" Her voice broke off and he reached for her shoulder with his other hand. 

"Kaoru." Kamiya Koshijirou's voice was much softer now. "You know that we live to protect innocents, and this is our given destiny…I have only one thing to ask of you now, dear one." 

"What is it, father? I'll do anything!" She was desperately trying not to break down now. 

"Promise me…that when…this is all over…you will live your life out…happily with your own family, and that you will find someone who loves you for who you are…no matter what…and that Kamiya Kasshin Ryu…will become 'A Sword that Protects'…" He could feel death coming to claim him; time was running short. "Promise me!!" 

Kaoru's answer was slow in coming, and her voice was clogged with tears when she answered. 

"I promise, father. I promise…so please…please don't die!" 

He smiled tasting bittersweet blood on his lips. His fingers wiped away Kaoru's tears. 

"Live well, my daughter. Know that I always loved you…and that I always will…I…loved you…all…" 

His hand suddenly went limp in her grip, and his eyelids slid close, a serene smile on his face. He had left the world of the living to join the walking dead. 

"Father…? Father?" The reality of death sank into Kaoru's distraught mind. "Father!!" 

A hand gripped her shoulder gently. "We have to leave now Kaoru. The place is going to burn us up if we don't leave soon." 

She batted at it. "No! I want to die here with father! Let me die!" Her screams went on into the night as Aoshi looped his hand around her waist and slung her over his shoulder. 

As Aoshi left the dojo with a screaming, crying Kaoru over his shoulder, Soujirou lingered behind for a moment, arranging Kamiya Koshijirou's body into a more peaceful position, and then standing up, he bowed, and uttered only one phrase. 

"Thank you." 

He too, then turned his back on the dojo and left; flames soon engulfed the position that he had been, and the dojo was left to burn. 

While the three young adults mourned Kamiya Koshijirou's passing. 

~*~ 

Tokyo, 2003 

Kamiya Kaoru's eyes snapped open, her chest heaving, sweat running down her face, as her hands clutched the blankets tightly. 

'I was dreaming of that time again when father died.' She ran a hand through her semi-sweat drenched hair, and sat up in her futon, trying to calm her breath. It had been 6 years since her father's death, but every now and then, the dreams returned to haunt her, reminding her of why she was who she was. Kaoru was a 20-year-old psychology major by day, an assassin by night. Along with her twin Soujirou, and her cousin Aoshi, they worked for the Ishinshishi and helped to cleanse the streets of Japan of dirty politicians and criminals who often slipped through the law's grasp. Kaoru and Soujirou had become assassins after their father's death, but Aoshi had already been an assassin-in-training even before his uncle had died. To say that neither of them had changed since her father's death would have been a lie. Aoshi had become ten times colder than he had ever been, closing off his emotions to everyone but Kaoru and Soujirou, and even then, his icy barriers never really came down. Soujirou hid behind a smiling façade, never letting others see his real emotions, but Kaoru knew her twin better, even if she didn't say anything about it. Kaoru herself had become more withdrawn, but still tried her best to be the Kaoru that she had been so many years ago. All of them had experienced almost-equal amounts of trauma after her father's death, but they had all reacted differently. 

Kaoru stayed in a house with Soujirou, and another close friend-slash-assassin, Sagara Sanosuke, and they were known as an assassin group called Black Dawn. Aoshi would sometimes join them on missions, but he often wasn't around, because he had to manage the Oniwabanshuu spy network that he was the leader of, and as a result, saw little of Kaoru and Soujirou. Their group was well known in the underground world because of their efficiency and their abilities; Soujirou and Kaoru were rather skilled telepaths as well as masters of the sword, while Sanosuke was a telekinetic and was well versed in hand-to-hand combat. They were second to the one and only legendary assassin. 

Battousai. 

The nickname struck fear into the hearts of every man, and he was notorious for being a cold-blooded but very efficient killer, well versed in the sword and had the speed of a demon. No one knew his real name except the leaders of the Ishinshishi themselves. They said his eyes were a cold amber, more like that of an animal's than that of a human's, and his hair was dark crimson, like blood. Although he had indeed been an assassin for the past 10 years, no one had been able to surpass his skill, and he had remained at the top of the list, unchallenged. 

'Is he really as cruel as they say, I wonder?' Kaoru mused in her thoughts. 'Other than Sou-chan, Sanosuke, Aoshi and myself, I have never met any other assassins who have our level of skills.' 

She was promptly shaken out of her thoughts by a crashing sound on the staircase. Her mind instantly went on red alert, reaching for the gun that she kept under her pillow, and opened the door to her room slowly. She stepped outside of the room --- 

Only to relax as she saw who it was who had rolled down the stairs yet again in his sleepy haze. She smiled wryly at Soujirou, who had also come out of his room to see what the noise was all about, an unsheathed katana ready in his hand. Taking in her smile, he wrinkled his face in disgust and promptly grumbled. 

"It's Sanosuke again, isn't it?" 

The string of curses coming from downstairs verified his question. 

The twins leaned over the railing of the stairs to glare at the clumsy numskull who had woken them from their slumber. The man with hair stuck-up all over the place met their glares with a sheepish smile, while rubbing his painful rump. 

"Er…Ohayo?" 

A/N: _ Phew~ that sure took a lot outta me. I hope you all enjoyed it; please review if you can, so that I can make this fic better! Sorry that there's a lack of action so far in this chapter, but I can promise you that it'll come along soon enough! Thankees to those who read this! If there are any questions, then just e-mail me or write it up in the reviews, ne? Domo~ 


	3. Chapter 2: New Addition

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Weiβ Kreuz, so it would be no use if you sue me, because I'm just another fan who's got very little money on her hands, and well, it would just cost tons to get a lawsuit, ne? 

A/N: Ta-dah! Here comes Kenshin! It's gonna get a lot more darker and angstier from now on, but well, bare with it, because, after all, who *wouldn't* (if you were an assassin for 10 years and was isolated from everyone, and well, killed almost every stranger you were told to kill?)? FYI, Kenshin is 26, Kaoru and Soujirou are 20, Sanosuke is 22, and Aoshi is 25. I shortened the age gap between Kaoru and Kenshin because urm ^^; I felt like it! Yesh. Well, hope ya'll enjoy this chapter! 

chris: Thanks for reviewing! The only reviewer so far! ^^; *gives you a cookie* Yup, in this fic, Soujirou, Kaoru and Aoshi are all related. As to why Aoshi was living with them…well ^^ you'll find out later in the fic.

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " " 

Mind-communication/telepathy is in _italics_.

Chapter 2: New Addition 

He shook the remaining blood off his katana before sliding it back into its sheath, pulling his cloak over the sword to conceal it from wandering eyes. His footsteps echoed in the dark alley, as the sheet of bloodied paper on the remaining corpse fluttered slightly in the wind. 

It read 'Tenchuu'. Heaven's Justice. 

It was the same message that the police had found a few days before in another part of Kyoto, with the bodies of a druglord and his bodyguards who had repeatedly slipped through the hands of the law. They had no idea why the assassin was doing what he did, but somehow, all his hits had been upon those who brought ruin and discord to society, and for that they were grateful. It did not stop them from trying to find out about the identity of this particular man, but strangely enough, no one could ever find any record that he even existed in Japan. 

The amber eyes changed back to their normal violet colour as he left the area of bloodshed behind him, and sucked in a lungful of fresh air. Battousai the assassin was tucked away for the time being, and Himura Kenshin had returned. It had been a relatively easy mission tonight, and he didn't have to deal with the nuisance of killing the man's bodyguards as well as the man himself, because the target had chosen to be foolish, and had slipped off to a rowdier part of Kyoto (ie the red light district), where the unwritten law was 'every man for himself'. His target had been drunk, which made the job even easier, and Kenshin had finished him off within a few seconds, with no struggles at all. He stuck his leather-gloved hands into the pockets of his long trailing black trench coat to try to fend off the icy cold bite of winter. His long crimson locks were tied back in a high ponytail, and only a few locks of hair fell into his face. Although Kenshin was rather short in comparison to other men, the dangerous air that seemed to follow him more than made up for his height. 

His cell phone vibrated in one of the pockets of his trench coat, and he scrutinised the number on the screen before answering the call. 

"…" Kenshin waited for the person on the other end of the phone to speak; he never spoke unless he knew who was on the other end of the line first. It was one of the skills that his shishou had taught to him about being an assassin: never give away your identity to others. 

"Himura." The voice had an air of authority to it, which could be heard even over the telephone. 

"Katsura-san." Kenshin acknowledged. He wondered what was the matter; Katsura Kogorou rarely called on nights which he had missions on. 

"I trust you have taken care of Takuya Hyogo?" Kenshin's echoed an affirmative noise in his throat. "Good. A job well done. I think that it's time you met up with Black Dawn." 

"Black Dawn?" Kenshin inquired, not because he didn't know about them, but because he had never met any other Ishinshishi assassins before. 

"Aa. Meet me at the Kikuzakura Teahouse in an hour." Katsura rung off. 

The assassin slid the phone back into his pocket and crossed the desolate road. 'No blood on my clothes tonight.' He mused to himself. It was a rare occurrence. 'Not to mention the fact that the compound is too far away and I wouldn't be able to get back in time without being late for the meeting with Katsura-san.' He stretched his limbs slightly, mentally sighing. 'If I get there early I'll be able to get something to eat then.' With that thought, Kenshin slowly made his way to the other side of Kyoto. 

~*~ 

Katsura Kogorou put down the phone and rubbed his temples lightly, attempting to pacify the migraine that was building up in his head. 

"Are you sure that's a good decision to put him together with the Kamiya girl?" Katsura squinted at the outlined figure in the dim room. It could only be Takasugi. 

Katsura contemplated his answer. "Both of them have suffered…more than anyone their age should. They carry burdens that they should not have to, and yet, continue to live on as they are." 

"Aa." Was the affirmative response. 

"Himura has lost touch, so to speak, with human contact," Katsura continued. "And…" He frowned in mid-sentence. "I think that Kamiya will be able to bring back more of his humanity…or more of the real him before he became an assassin. Besides, interaction with the other members of the group will be good for him too." 

Takasugi raised an eyebrow in the darkness of the room. "Indeed. Something else you 'saw' (1) then, Katsura?" 

The head of the Ishinshishi nodded. "Yes. I have 'seen' that she will be the one to save him. Besides…" His voice softened. "This is the very least that we can do for him in return for taking away his sanity." 

~*~ 

The phone rang in the living room as Kaoru walked down the stairs, rubbing her wet hair with a towel. Sanosuke had gone out sometime in the evening; Soujirou was somewhere in the house. She sighed inwardly, about to rush down the stairs to reach the ringing cacophony when— 

_I'll get it._ (2) 

Soujirou's mental voice sounded in her head. She sent an appreciative smile through the mind-link she had with her twin. 

_Arigatou, Sou-chan!_

"Moshi moshi." Peeping around the wall that separated the hall and the living room, she saw that Soujirou had already picked up the phone. 

"Hai." Soujirou beckoned towards Kaoru. "Yeah, she's here. Hold on." He handed the cordless to her and returned to the sofa. _Takasugi da._

Sinking into the sofa and curling one leg under herself she spoke into the phone. 

"Takasugi-san ne? Nan no you desuka?" 

The gruff voice chuckled. "Ah, the mind link again ne? I still remain amazed every time you two do that." 

She smiled. "Sou? Do we have another mission?" Kaoru rolled her eyes at her brother, who promptly graced her with a withering smile. 

He sighed. "Straight to the point as always, Bara (3). I'll be coming around at 1200 tomorrow, so make sure the whole team is there." 

"Aoshi joining us?" She inquired. She hadn't seen her cousin in 2 months.

"Nope. Not this one. Next one maybe. Get your equipment sharp and ready. That's all." He hung up. 

Kaoru plonked the phone back onto its stand and leaned into Soujirou's shoulder, trying to suppress the cold shiver that ran down her back at the thought of having to kill someone again. She closed her eyes, trying to blink away the tears. 'I hate this. Taking people's lives as if we had the right to do so.' 

Soujirou shifted in his seat to give his twin a comforting hug. _Zannen dakedo…but this is what we have to do to keep others safe. _His mental voice also held her in a hug. 

Kaoru gave a small grimace. _I know…kedo…no one understands the extent of the work that we do ne? I wish sometimes…that we were as normal and naïve as all those other people out there. Never knowing, never suspecting. _

Soujirou nodded sadly. _I wish for that too. But I wouldn't wish for someone else to go through the pain that we had, and still have to go through. _

She smiled a small sad smile. _Sou ne._ She hugged him back. _Thanks for understanding, Sou-chan._

He broke out into a big, real smile. _That's what twins are for, baka!_

She answered in a grin. _Hai!_

Soujirou squeezed his sister once more, before going back to his Law notes. "Have to call Sanosuke soon and tell him too." He said aloud. 

Kaoru stretched slightly. "Mind call? (4)" 

"Yeah." He waved his sister off. "Go to sleep, you look like you need it." He grinned boyishly as he ducked under her playful swipe. "I'll tell him." 

"Oyasumi, Sou-chan." 

"Oyasumi, Kaoru." 

Dictionary 

Tenchuu – Heaven's Justice; used in the manga by Kenshin whenever he had to assassinate someone. Motto, I think you can call it, of the Ishinshishi. 

Shishou – master (^^ and who else could be Kenshin's master, hmm? :p) 

Aa – yes; an affirmative acknowledgement. 

Arigatou – Thank you 

Moshi moshi – what you usually say when you answer a phone call in Japan. 

Takasugi da – It's Takasugi 

Nan no you desuka? – Is anything the matter?/What's the matter? 

Zannen dakedo – It's cruel, but…/It may be cruel, but… 

Kedo – but 

Baka – idiot 

Hai – yes 

Oyasumi – good night 

Notes: 

(1) 'Seeing' – what Takasugi and Katsura are going on about here is Katsura's urm… 'little' ability as a pre-cog. He can 'see' into the future; it's not really predicting what will happen, but it's a kinda insight into what is the _most likely_ event to occur into the future. For those who have watched Weiβ Kreuz, think Bradley Crawford, the pre-cog :p 

(2) Sou-chan is 'talking' via telepathy with Kaoru in this conversation. They've done it for years, so it's only usual for them to communicate without having to talk vocally. 

(3) Bara is Kaoru's assassin code-name. As in Weiβ Kreuz, all the assassins in this fic also have their own individual code names. You have probably figured out that Kenshin's is Battousai, Soujirou's is Tenken, and Sanosuke's is Zanza. As for Aoshi's code-name…hrm…still working on that :p Why Bara? Gods…couldn't come up with anything else! Short, sweet, and I know…lame! ^^;; If anyone else has any suggestions, please do tell me, and I'll consider changing Kaoru's code-name. 

(4) Mind-call. Sending a telepathic message to someone who isn't a telepath. They can receive messages from telepath, and for those non-telepaths who have an um…stronger communication ability than others, they can send *very* short messages back. Sanosuke can do this, and well, Kenshin _may_ be able to as well. Still working on it. It's much easier, of course, to mind-call non-telepaths through dreams. 

A/N: Yii. New chapter with lots and lots of explanations (as well as Japanese!). Gomen if my Japanese, sucks, 'coz all the Japanese that I know is from reading a lot of manga and watching anime; it's all self-taught. My reading skills are so-so, my translation skills are…strange… and my conversation skills are awful! ^^;; So, if anyone who's fluent in Japanese wishes to correct me, please do. I was gonna put the mission into this chapter -_- but it kinda took off on its own. Grah! *slumps in chair* Yet another chapter to write! _ I have no idea how long this story will go on for, but I think probably about 10-15 chapters…depends on whether the story plans to take off on its own, which is normal for fanfiction… I just hope that it doesn't take too long to finish _ otherwise I'll be *really* hard-pressed to update, coz when school starts I'll have lots of h/w to keep up with! Anyway, hope you enjoyed that chapter minna, R/R please!


	4. Chapter 3: Dreamwalking

Disclaimer: I wish I owned RK and WK. Izzat clear enough for you? 

A/N: XD Thanx to everyone who reviewed! _ I was beginning to think that I wouldn't get any reviews *sniff* ;_; I just love reading reviews, so please, please read and review! _ On another note, this story has started jumping off on it's own again *sigh* Yup, definitely have to have more chapters to deal with it _ The mission, was once again supposed to be in this chapter, but the Kenshin's meeting with Katsura took up all the space, :p so you can go blame our Oro-chan (Kenshin: Oro?). One of Kenshin's abilities will be found in this chapter J yes, just *one*! *cackles evilly* Yes, our darling is special and has more than one ability. The others? Hmm…we'll see :P No matter. Yesh, in this chapter, Kenshin meets Kaoru in a rather unorthodox way! Slight WAFFY-ness! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Reviewers space! 

Harpygirl 91 - @_@ Kill me? Ouch…that would hurt! ^^;; Don't worry, I'll continue updating as much as I can! 

Dragona – XD That I will! 

Random-Reader-san : Thank you! I like where this story is headed too! ^^ Your review is encouragement enough, thanks for reviewing! 

Tsugoi Kakarlena – I'm glad you like it so much! I was afraid that the lack of action so far would make the story too boring! 

Poppy – Thanks for the encouragement! Yeah, Linay's Broken Pieces is one of my fave stories too; she's such a good writer! Yes, it is really hard to write a futuristic fic which doesn't follow Linay's. **J **I'm glad that you find the plot original so far; I've been trying my best not to make it like Linay's _ but the supernatural elements enjoy creeping in… please keep reading! 

Neko Oni – You like the Japanese dialogue! Cool~ ^^ I didn't know whether it would annoy people or not, because some people absolutely hate it when there's Japanese and English dialogue incorporated into a fic. Really glad you like it though! Yesh, please do read the sidestory to this! I would be very grateful indeed~ It's probably even slower than this story, but I'm still racking my brains as to what to dump into the plot line. Mmm…getting the manga huh? There's only 2 books of manga for the original WK, but there's another one that's being worked on by another mangaka, called Weiss Side B (I think) that takes place after Weiss Kreuz Gluhen. The character designs and everything look good too~. And besides, I'll be basing some stuff from this fic from Weiss Side B too. 

NightRain – Glad you like it! It took quite a bit of planning to piece everything together and make the story work. There's always new ideas flowing in, so don't be surprised if the fic turns weird! XD 

chris - hey! Thanks for reviewing again! Oh, how their meeting goes hmm? ;) you'll find out soon enough! I'm already working on it! 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Dream scene/telepathy is in _italics_. 

Chapter 3: Dreamwalking 

Kenshin looked up from his tea as the shoji door to the private room in the Kikuzakura Teahouse slid open. Katsura deftly removed his shoes, and promptly took up a cross-legged seat opposite Kenshin. Takasugi entered as well, sliding the shoji door shut with a decisive click behind him and took a seat in the corner of the room. The redhead wasted no time in asking his questions. 

"Katsura-san, what is the reason for me meeting up with Black Dawn now?" 

"I'd like to see how you would work with other fellow assassins, because there are, indeed, some missions that will sooner or later require you to work with a group. Black Dawn is as good as any other not only because they are efficient, but also because their teamwork is impeccable." He paused momentarily before continuing. "I think that you would also benefit from learning with them, because all members of the group have 'abilities' (1) such as yours, although they are different." 

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. 

"So basically, I could develop these 'abilities' of mine." Statement worded like a question. 

"Yes. Your skills will also be valuable to them." 

"A mission then?" The straightforward question nearly made Katsura wince. 'One of these days his bluntness will get him killed…by a woman, most probably!'

"Not in those terms. They have a mission tomorrow night at 2300 hours at the Kanrii building in Tokyo. You will observe them to see how they co-operate as a team, and introduce yourself after they have completed their mission." 

"Is that all?" Kenshin carefully kept any emotions he had under his deadpan expression and sipped his tea. 

Katsura rubbed his temple again; the migraine seemed to be returning. 

"Hmm…hide yourself until after the mission. Don't let them detect your ki." 

The widening of Kenshin's eyes was the only display of emotion that showed his surprise, and he said nothing at all. 

Katsura drained the now lukewarm tea in one long sip, and got up from his seat. He tilted his head slightly to look at Kenshin while opening the shoji door. "Oh, Takasugi will tell you a bit about the group. I've got some work to attend to now. Good luck on working with Black Dawn, Himura." The shoji door slid close behind him and his fading footfalls were heard echoing through the corridor of the teahouse. Moving from his spot in the corner of the room, Takasugi took up the seat that Katsura had just vacated. 

"So…" He drawled, pulling out a cigarette from a shiny silver box. "What do you wanna know about your new partners?" 

"Names. Codenames. Ages. Gender. Weapons. Techniques." Kenshin felt like he was a robot as the businessy Battousai side took over; his violet eyes rimmed in tarnished gold. He thought for a second, then added. "Abilities." 

"Codenames: Kuro Bara, Tenken, Zanza. Occasionally Kagami (2) helps out as well, but that's really rare. 20, 20, 22, 25. Female – " He grinned at Kenshin's outrageous shocked look plastered on his face (3). "and the rest are male. Katana, katana, bugnuks (4), ninjitsu. You'll see. Telepath, telepath, telekinetic, 'Shifter. Maybe even more." 

Takasugi barely swallowed his laughter at the positively hilarious wide-eyed look on Kenshin's face. "That information to you?" 

'Gods, I must look like a fish!' Kenshin realized that his jaw had dropped to the floor at hearing that there was actually a **_female_** in Black Dawn. He sputtered, amethyst eyes wide. 

"A **_woman_**!?" Yup, very incredulous. 'Great, now I sound so sexist_._' 

Takasugi nodded, lighting the cigarette. "Yeah." He blew the smoke out in one breath, and then grinned at Kenshin. "Problem with that?" 

Kenshin frowned slightly. "Why is a woman an assassin?" His voice grew soft and was tinged with sadness. "No woman should have to deal with killing a person." 

Takasugi's lop-sided grin faded. "She's carrying on her father's legacy. Top police officer who worked alongside us. Got found out by Bakufu (5), and he refused to betray us. They killed him." He inhaled a lungful of smoke and blew it out again before continuing. "Assassinated and the girl returned from a mission to find the family dojo burning up." He shook his head sympathetically. "He was too far gone and he died in there. Girl turned assassin after that." 

"A fire, huh?" A bitter-sweet smile touched Kenshin's lips as he tried to force back the memories that came with remembering. (6) 

Takasugi's eyes narrowed at him fractionally before answering. 

"It was the fire in 1997 in Tokyo." 

Kenshin's eyes widened fractionally. "_That_ one?" He remembered hearing about it and for some reason also remembered that he had been extremely angry about hearing the said incident, but he had never really known why. 

"Yup, that one." He took a long drag on his cigarette as he stood up to leave, throwing a few bills onto the table. "Gotta go now. I'll see you tomorrow night." Slightly unfocused violet eyes sharpened as Kenshin pulled himself out of reminiscence. "Hey, wait." 

Takasugi stopped at the door, in the middle of pulling his black leather shoes on. 'Darn. I should've known that he'd be too sharp to miss that one.' He turned around. "Nanda?"

"You haven't told me their names." 

Takasugi grinned. "Should've known that it wouldn't have slipped past your sharp mind. You'll find out tomorrow when they introduce themselves." With that remark, he got up and walked away, leaving Kenshin to his own devices. 

Kenshin grumbled to himself as he too prepared to get up and leave. "Confounded man." He muttered. Tucking the katana back into his belt, he grabbed his coat and shrugged it on, downing the tea in one smooth movement. He nodded his head at the waitress who had been serving them and stepped out into the biting cold air again. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was half-past midnight. Although he was very far from collapsing right on the pavement, he wanted to get back to his apartment as soon as possible to take a hot shower and clean his katana. 'Long way round or shortcut?' He mused to himself. 'Hmm…shortcut.' With an easy leap, he was up in the air and jumping over the residential roofs of Kyoto, making his way back to his apartment.

~*~ 

Kaoru tossed and turned in her sleep caught within the throes of the fiery nightmare that refused to let its grip on her go. She was reliving the dream again, on the night that her father died. If there was one phobia that she had, it would have to be fire; the fire that had burned down her house that night had not left her unscathed. 

_She could feel the roaring heat of the fire on her skin. She was running through the dojo again, only this time, she was the one trapped within it, and the place was threatening to burn down around her ears. Kaoru's feet pattered over the floor as she panicked, trying to find a way out; the heavy black smoke would soon be upon her, and she would die of carbon monoxide poisoning if she inhaled too much of it. The fire drew ever closer, and this time Kaoru screamed as the flames licked too close at her white slip-dress, singeing the cloth slightly._

_The unnatural fear bubbled through her body as a flaming wooden pillar crashed to the ground behind her, and this time she was truly trapped. She was surrounded in a ring of fire and the pillar that had crashed to the ground moments before sealed her path. Tears slipped down Kaoru's cheeks as the fire closed in on her, and she curled up upon herself in the middle of the ring, sure of her death. She whimpered and shut her eyes tight as the flames licked closer at her skin, and she could almost feel the blisters forming, her skin turning black and charred; body burnt to ashes that no one would ever find…_

_The sudden embrace of strong arms encased in black leather and cool air upon her face made her eyes snap open, and she found that she was floating above the dojo, which was now in flames. A soft masculine voice broke her out of her staring reverie._

_"Are you alright?"_

_She glanced up at the voice, taking in worried mauve eyes and slightly mussed red locks. Kaoru realised that this strange man had saved her from a fiery death, but some part of her mind reminded her that it was just a dream. She couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from his gaze, and it seemed as if they were somehow spellbound together by some fated attraction. The auburn-haired angel smiled slightly, and Kaoru blushed, finally able to look away._

_"Yes I'm fine. Thank you."_

_It was so strange to her, but somehow she felt safe with this stranger, and her fear of the fire was banished, for now. She took comfort in his silent strength as he wrapped his arms closer around her small form, and she snuggled closer into his embrace. Kaoru knew that she should have felt strange, snuggling up to a complete stranger – even if it was indeed a dream – but she felt as if she belonged in his arms. Lifting her head towards him, she saw his eyes on her, the small smile still on his lips._

_"You should return to your sleep now, blue-eyed one." He pressed two fingers against the back of her neck softly._

_As if on cue, Kaoru's eyes started to close of their own accord, and she tried to fight off the drowsiness of sleep._

_"Wait…your…name…?"_

_"Kenshin." Came the soft reply. "Sleep now little angel."_

_His voice faded away as sleep overtook her._

When Kaoru opened her eyes in the morning, she remembered that she had been dreaming, but she couldn't remember what had happened. Fuzzy images filled her head; a man with the strangest violet eyes ever; red hair that caressed her cheek; strong arms that held her close; and a strange sense of comfort. A name… 

"Kenshin…" she whispered. 

Soujirou's grumpy voice shook her out of her dreams. _Be quiet and let me sleep!_

She chuckled, and all thoughts of the dream were pushed back into the recesses of her mind. 

~*~ 

Across Kyoto, Kenshin's eyes slid open to stare at the ceiling. Instead of having a good night's rest, he had gone and dreamwalked into someone else's dream instead. He wasn't too annoyed that he had stumbled into someone else's dream; he had saved a blue-eyed angel from a fiery death. 'Sweet girl.' He thought to himself. 'Not like she'll remember me in the morning.' As a dreamwalker, he would always remember what he did in dreams, but the dreamers themselves, more often than not, would forget. 

Just like how dreams are supposed to be, fleeting moments. 

Kenshin, however, couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was somehow connected to him in a way, and he couldn't forget how natural it was to hold her in his arms. He shook his head slightly; it was no matter, of no consequence. It wasn't as if he would ever actually meet the girl in real life… 

Right? 

Dictionary 

Only 1 word this time! 

Nanda – informal way of saying 'what' 

Notes:

(1) 'abilities' – We're referring to the paranormal activities that most of the characters possess. Yup, Kenshin is one of those who has these abilities too; and he's what you'd call a DreamWalker. That means he has the ability to walk into someone else's dream and communicate with them; DreamWalkers can do this, even if they're not telepathic. Yesh Roswell-ish enough for you? No, they aren't aliens. 

(2) 'Kagami' – Aoshi's codename. It means 'mirror'. 

(3) ^^; guess you all want to know why Kenshin is so shocked huh? I guess it would have to do with the fact that there's actually a… urm female assassin who is in one of the top assassin groups in Japan. Not trying to be sexist or anything, but well, Japan is still quite a traditional country in some ways, and I figured that it would be a bit surprising to Oro-chan that one of the top assassins is a woman. 

(4) 'Bugnuks' – yet another little something that I borrowed from Weiβ Kreuz. Those are the gloves that Ken always wears during missions. There's a sorta button that Ken squeezes on, and then claws come out from his gloves where his knuckles are. Sano can't just fight bare hand ne? *shudders* I wouldn't think that he'd want his fists to be covered in blood anyway. 

(5) 'Bakufu' – Enemy group of the Ishinshishi. The ones who cause all the trouble; guess you can call them the Underground troublemakers or so. 

(6) So…what *is* Kenshin thinking about here hmm? Kaoru's not the only one who's affected by fire ya know. Well, all I can tell you is that it's got something to do with his past, and when I'm done with Fallen Path, then you'll know what's going on, ne? For now, that's still under wraps :p 

Kenshin's OOCness – Don't expect him to be this Rurouni-ish throughout the whole fic, because I can tell you right now, that he won't be. As to why he's showing so much emotion around Takasugi and Katsura, they're 2 of the 3 people who really know him, so he isn't too concerned with holding his emotions in check as with complete strangers. _ Please don't think that I'm trying to plagiarise Linay's 'Broken Pieces', because I really *am* trying to make this as different as possible from hers. 

Kaoru's OOCness – Well, not trying to make her seem weak or anything in this fic; very far from it in fact. She's one of the characters that I really respect, coz she's got her own opinions and will and isn't always depending on others to save her; in short, she's got spunk. J She's got her own spunk in this fic too. As to why she's got a phobia of fire. Well, the death of her father traumatised her enough to the point that she's now got a fear of fire for life. *Shrug* Things like that happen, ne? 

Connection? – Ah yes. Why do Kenshin and Kaoru feel so natural around each other? …the answer is…I'm still working on that! XD hahaha ^^;; gomen ne, you'll find out soon enough as the fic moves along. Ah, bliss. 

A/N: Mwahahah~ XD that's where you're wrong, Oro-chan!! *Grins evilly* ^^ am I evil or am I evil? _ Gods, so much for writing a 1000 words; this chapter was close to 2000! _ And I thought that I'd had enough of typing Malay nonsense this morning…must be due to interest; hrmph. Next chapter, is definitely the mission _ it's been put off for way too long, so it'll have to show up next time. Hope you liked the slight WAFFY-ness, and well, R&R! BTW, I think I'm putting Fallen Path on hiatus until I finish this fic; all my time will be going into writing up chapters for this one, and I still need to write an epilogue for my Inuyasha fanfic, and there might even be a one-shot RK KxK fanfic upcoming too. So, yeah, Fallen Path will be put on the back burner for a while. 

Request: If you've just started reading this fic, please, please, only submit one review with everything that you want to say about the story; it's not like I don't like reviewers putting in reviews for every chapter of the fic, but if there's say, 5 chapters up, then read all the 5 chapters first, and then review. I think it's a lot neater that way. Thank you! 

* If anyone would like to draw some fanart for my fic please do send some :p although it's way to early to ask ^^ 

Thanks to all for reviewing, and see you again in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 4: Mission Meeting Synchronised

Disclaimer: Oro-chan belongs to Kaoru. Kaoru belongs to Oro-chan. Aya belongs to Ken. Ken belongs to Aya. Capish? The Kanrii Tower and the Kaira building belong to me though :p I just made them out of nowhere. And the criminal that Black Dawn takes down is just a figment of my imagination too~. 

A/N: Domo once again to all my reviewers! This chapter took off on it's own as usual _ and it's the longest one that I've ever written so far. I swear even my English essays had less than this! No, wait, that's a *definite* thing. None of my essays have ever topped 2714 words. But then again I've never had much fun writing about Macbeth, The Crucible or Lord of the Flies -_-. Enough rambling and back to the fic! This chapter contains the mission (finally! Yes, jump around for joy! I finally wrote it!) and Black Dawn's meeting up with Kenshin. OOCness abound! Enjoy~ 

Reviewers' Space! 

Neko Oni – Wai! It's omae-san again! J I love getting reviews from you ^^ Hontou? I'm glad to know that at least one person thinks that it's ok for him to get OOC ^^;; I just thought that it'd be fun to have him you know, be more in tune with his Battousai side than how it usually is in other fics; either completely Battousai or having trouble trying to control it. Un~ Japanese rox! ;) Hope you enjoy this chapter ne! 

can't-get-enough-anime: Ah ^^ I'm glad you like the story! As to what happens to Kenshin and Black Dawn? ;) Well, you'll just have to wait and see ne? XD hehen~ 

ewunia – Yeah, I'm still trying to build it up, and hopefully people will like my story enough to read it ne? Will do as much as possible! 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

Chapter 4: Mission/Meeting – Synchronised 

Kaoru crawled stealthily through the air vent, trying to remain as quiet as possible as she made her way to the target's office. She felt drops of perspiration on her face, and thanked the gods that she had pinned up her hair with clips, and that the fringe on her forehead was short enough not to get in the way of her sight. The mask that covered the left side of her face was a trademark of the assassin group. She readied the tranquillising darts that were strapped to her thigh on her outfit as she found herself in the air vent directly above her target. As she raised her arm slightly to throw a dart, she sent a telepathic message to her twin, who would surely relay it to Sanosuke if he didn't receive it (1). A vocal message through the little microphone on the collar of her skin-tight black shirt would have meant that Sanosuke would have definitely received the message, but Kaoru couldn't allow the said target to even have an inkling of their presence in the building, otherwise the plan would be screwed. Mistakes in their line of work often meant death, and when she was this close to the target, it would mean imminent death if he found out she was hovering in the air vent right above him. 

Takasugi had come to the house right on time for the meeting, and all of them had been there for the mission briefing; Kaoru and Soujirou awake and alert, while Sanosuke nursed a painful hangover. They had sat around the kitchen table while Takasugi briefed them on the mission about one Kouya Shatori; he was responsible for the rapes and murders of several women around Tokyo, and was a chief of one of the yakuza groups. Kaoru was to tranquillise him, via the air vents, and Sanosuke and Soujirou would take care of the guards, before they reached the room that he was in. A plan of the building was spread out on the table and the group memorised the information instantly. 

"Why don't we snipe?" Soujirou had asked. 

Takasugi shook his head to the question, pulling a long drag on his cigarette. "The surrounding buildings around Kanrii tower will not be able to give you a clear shot to his room, and the building may have bulletproof glass installed for the room, considering that he's a high-roller. You'll have to resort to using the old methods. (2)" 

He continued, breathing the smoke out as Kaoru glared at him. "You know what you have to do. Check the building out in the time that you've got left; the mission's at 2300 tonight. Leave no witnesses; there should only be men in the building; if they get in your way, you know what to do," the grip that Kaoru had on the table leg tightened slightly, her knuckles going white, before she forced herself to relax. "Be on alert at all times; you never know what tricks he might have up his sleeve. Sharpen all the equipment that you need; if you need anything just give me a call. I'll be overseeing your mission from a nearby place. Report to me once you're done. I'll be on the rooftop, waiting." Takasugi had gotten up, and promptly left the house, leaving the three to sort out what they needed for the mission. He had also, refrained from telling them that they would have a 'visitor' during their mission, but well, Katsura had told him not to say anything, and so he kept his mouth shut. Kaoru and Soujirou had then left to check out the building, while Sanosuke caught up on his much needed sleep. 

_Tenken, are the guards taken care of? _Even though the group knew that few had telepathic abilities like theirs, they took extra caution even through the mental link during their missions to make sure that no one knew their true identities. 

_Done, Bara. We're outside the room you're in now. Are you pulling it off, or shall we?_ Soujirou answered in a similar business-like manner. 

_Only have the darts tonight; you can pull this one._ She hadn't brought her katana with her because she knew that it would have been more of a nuisance, what with crawling through air vents and making as little noise as possible. She had no doubt that her twin could pull the job off easily, and Sanosuke was just as capable (when he was sober, at least). 

_Open in 5 seconds._ Kaoru's arm was a blur as she threw the dart, and was satisfied when she heard the man's gasp, and his ungraceful thud on the floor. The tranquilliser was enough to paralyse his limbs momentarily, but not enough to knock him out cold; it would have been sneaky to kill their opponents like that, and the team did not approve of it at all. Even if they took lives, they would at least do it in a righteous manner. Soujirou and Sanosuke burst through the door, light playing on the masks that they too, wore. Kaoru landed softly behind the man as she jumped down from the exit in the air vent that she had kicked through easily. 

Soujirou levelled the tip of his katana at the man's Adam apple, sharp point against the skin. Sanosuke stood right behind him, a menacing shadow in the pale moonlight that shone through the glass windows of the room, and as he clenched a fist, bugnuks snapped out of his gloves to the fore. 

"Kouya Shatori, we have come for your life." The pointed tip of Kaoru's dagger mirrored Soujirou's katana, and the man gulped as he felt the cold kiss of steel both on his Adam's apple and on the back of his neck, in addition to the dart that was still stuck into the back of his neck. 

Soujirou smiled menacingly from beneath his mask. "Be ready to meet your maker." Without any warning, he plunged the katana into the man's rib cage, skewering him to the floor right through the heart, and jerked it out again, not an instant later. Blood trickled from Kouya Shatori's lips and his body convulsed; Kaoru crouched down by the dying man's ear. 

"We are Black Dawn, the ones who bring Heaven's Justice (3)." 

She threw a black rose (4) onto the man's body, before leaving the room with her colleagues, shutting the door with a final click behind her. 

~*~ 

Kenshin's eyes slid open, amber eyes alert as he 'watched' the trio leave the room. Katsura had indeed told him to watch the mission as it proceeded, and Kenshin had done precisely that; using his remote viewing (5) at such a close distance was not too much of a task to ask, and he had used it many times before to keep a watch on other targets. It was the easiest way to stay undetected, and yet, still be informed of others' actions at all times. He had kept his ki completely masked, but now he let it out; their mission was done, and as per Katsura's orders, he would introduce himself. Kenshin crouched down in the shadows of the skyscraper that was next to the Kanrii tower, waiting for his soon-to-be-comrades to show up on the roof of the building. 'If they really are as good as rumoured, then maybe…just maybe…they'll be able to detect me up here.' Kenshin smiled slightly mischievously to himself as he crouched there patiently; it had been a long time since someone else other than his shishou had been able to detect his ki, and this was his way of finding out how good the team really was. 

~*~ 

Kaoru allowed her senses to roam as she led the way up the stairs to the rooftop. Takasugi was supposed to be around somewhere, and she wanted to make the report as fast as possible so that she'd be able to get home and wash off the guilt that she felt everytime they took on a mission. Even though she had skimmed the target's mind slightly, and definitely classified him on her 'must die' list, that didn't mean that she was qualified to take his life away. It was like playing God, and she loathed it; she was glad that Soujirou had asked her, and was also glad that he was the one that had taken the scumbag's life instead of her. It might have seemed strange, but she needed to remind herself that she was human too, and not just an assassin who took the lives of others almost every night. She hated herself sometimes; she felt like a hypocrite, being one thing in the morning and another in the night. It scared her too, and Kaoru was afraid that one day, she wouldn't remember who Kamiya Kaoru was, and would always stay as Kuro Bara the assassin. 

As Bara, she was a strong, effective, deadly and skilled assassin. But as Bara, she was also cold, unyielding, and killed without remorse. As Kamiya Kaoru, she was as human as she could ever be, and the guilt of killing would hit her like a ton of bricks; she was compassionate, warm, and happy, unlike her persona of Bara, who was the complete opposite. 

Kaoru stiffened and stopped suddenly in her footsteps as she detected an unknown, but powerful ki. Soujirou was on the alert in an instant, while Sanosuke snapped his claws out. 

_We've got company._

She slid the dagger out of the pouch that was strapped to her thigh and turned the doorknob slowly, getting into an offensive stance. The cool night wind was blasted into their faces, but they maintained their caution and wariness. Narrowing her eyes, Kaoru stretched her senses further to pinpoint the exact location of the dangerous ki, and was slightly shocked to note that it was almost exactly above her. She wheeled around and saw the shadow lurking within the shadows of the skyscraper that was next to the Kanrii Tower. 

_Show yourself!_ She demanded of the stranger. 

~*~ 

Kenshin's amber eyes widened slightly as he 'heard' a woman's voice in his head. 

_Show yourself!_ It demanded. 'Katsura-san was right.' He thought to himself. 'They really _are_ that good.' He readied himself to leap to the other building, muscles clenching in his thighs. Kenshin held his katana in one hand and jumped. The 3-floor drop from the rooftop of the Kaira building to the Kanrii Tower meant nothing to him as he landed gracefully in front of the trio, trench coat sweeping out behind him. All three assassins surrounded him at once; a katana ready to slit his throat, a dagger poked into his back and three sharp blades connected to a fist at his stomach ready to _hara-kiri _(6) him if needed. 

Kenshin held his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Katsura-san sent me." 

Soujirou narrowed his eyes slightly. _How do I know you're not lying?_

Battousai smiled. 'So this is the Tenken.' "You can 'scan' my mind, and you'll find that I'm telling the truth." 

The dagger in his back dug slightly deeper. _Who the hell are you and how do you know this information?_

Kenshin tried to crane his head backwards to see the woman who had detected his ki. 'Bara.' The name registered in his mind. He answered the question smoothly. 

"Battousai." 

He could see both the men stiffen slightly, and was sure that the woman was doing the same too. Silence ensued for a moment. 

"Are you trying to play the fool with us?" Sanosuke's voice was deathly cold. 'Ah, this could only be Zanza.' 

"Himura, stop playing games." Came a voice from outside the circle. 

All eyes turned to rest on Takasugi; they had been too engrossed in their confrontation and had failed to notice that the man had shown up just moments ago. 

"Black Dawn, you can all back down, because he is who he said he is." 

Kenshin smiled a not-so-kind smile at Takasugi. "You didn't tell them, did you?" 

Kaoru, Soujirou and Sanosuke had grudgingly sheathed their weapons, before giving Takasugi a collective glare. Takasugi grinned at them and shrug the unease off. 

"Nope." Was the nonchalant answer. 

Sanosuke swore lightly under his breath. "You _knew_?!" 

Takasugi blatantly ignored him and just walked over to the four. "Orders from the chief. You'll all be working together from now onwards, so I'd suggest that you introduce yourselves; you know, handshake and all that. You don't have to worry about anyone listening in; I checked the parameter, and there's no one around, physically or mentally, so don't worry about using your real names." 

Kenshin muttered something about 'lousy agents' under his breath before straightening up slightly and introducing himself. "Himura Kenshin desu. Sorry that Takasugi-_san_ here" the sarcasm was evident in his tone "didn't say anything about me meeting up with you. Katsura-san said that I'll be joining your group for an indefinite time. Codename: Battousai; Primary Weapon: Katana; Sword Style: Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu; Ability: Remote-viewing and slight telepathic abilities (7)." He bowed slightly before them. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." 

Soujirou was the first to offer an apologetic smile to Kenshin as he bowed back politely and pulling his gloves off, offered his hand for a handshake. Kenshin tentatively took it. "Gomen nasai, for pointing a katana at your throat. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have been so rash. Kamiya Soujirou desu. Codename: Tenken; Primary Weapon: Katana; Sword Style: Tenbu no Sai Niyoro Ken, Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu; Ability: Telepath. Dozo yoroshiku." 

Sanosuke was the next to introduce himself (in accordance to Kaoru's elbow in his ribs). "Warui about almost giving you hara-kiri." He ran a hand through his hair that defied gravity and offered his other one to Kenshin. Kenshin stared at it warily, not forgetting that there had actually been _claws_ extended from the very same hand that had almost hara-kiri'ed him minutes earlier. Being to blur to notice that Kenshin still hadn't taken his hand, Kaoru yanked it off, and he yelped as the cold wind bit into his skin. Kenshin finally shook the proffered hand and Sanosuke leapt into his own introduction. "Sagara Sanosuke. Codename: Zanza; Primary Weapon: Bugnuks; Technique: Futae no Kiwami and random street-fighting techniques; Ability: (Very bad) Telekinesis." 

Kaoru was the last to introduce herself. She couldn't help but notice the crimson bangs that framed his face closely and his imminent good looks and flashing amber eyes. 'He's pretty good looking,' she realized, and then frowned inwardly, 'he also seems really familiar somehow…I can't put my finger on it but…' Her thoughts were cut off as Soujirou prodded her mentally, reminding her of where she was. Her lips curved up into a small smile. "Kamiya Kaoru, Sou-chan's twin sister. Codename: Kuro Bara; Primary Weapon: Katana; Sword Style: Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu; Ability: Telepathy. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." She offered an ungloved hand to him--- 

Big mistake. 

As she grasped his hand, and he, hers, her world exploded into a myriad of colours. The sense of familiarity returned, as her head thrummed painfully, and she gritted out painfully, her eyes closed (8). 

"Do I…know you?" 

Kenshin was in a similar state of mind, and his hand tightened on hers. Colours were exploding in front of his eyes and he felt something strange about her…almost as if he knew her. "Shit." He swore. "Have we met before?" 

Their eyes snapped open at the same time and they stared at each other. Takasugi, Sanosuke and Soujirou were staring at _them_ as if they'd grown two heads. 

Kaoru stared at Kenshin and Kenshin stared right back. The pounding in Kaoru's head intensified, and the blurred image of a man with crimson hair and purple eyes synchronised with the Kenshin right in front of her eyes; the combined images and her reeling senses were too much to take all at once and she collapsed suddenly. One word left her lips before her word was covered in darkness. 

"Kenshin…" 

The redhead quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to prevent her from dropping to the floor and caught her before she reached the ground. Soujirou rushed towards his twin and shook her. "Kaoru! Kaoru? What's wrong? Wake up?" Kenshin was too dumbfounded to say anything as Sanosuke and Takasugi watched on in amazement. Silence rang still throughout the night as Sanosuke drawled dryly. 

"Now _that_ is what I call an introduction." 

Dictionary 

Kuro Bara – Black Rose. Kaoru's assassin codename. 

Tenken – er…Sou-chan's assassin codename. It means 'Sword skills given by the heavens'. Thank you to Tenken and InuYasha22 for this! 

Ki – Aura 

Shishou – master 

Hara-kiri – A suicide method that samurais usually used in the olden times. You stab a knife into your solar plexus and twist it upwards into your heart. Instant death. Or something like that. Please do correct me if I'm wrong ^^; 

Himura Kenshin desu – I'm Himura Kenshin 

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu/Dozo yoroshiku – Pleased to meet you 

Tenbu no Sai Niyoro Ken – Something something sword. :p I don't have the kanji to this, so it could mean a million things. Whatever the case, it's just the sword style that Soujirou uses. 

Gomen nasai – sorry (formal) 

Warui – sorry (male informal way of saying sorry) 

Futae no Kiwami – Sano's technique of fighting taught to him by Anji in the RuroKen series. Literally translated as 'The Two-fold Extremity'. 

Notes: 

(1) Ah, mental links to non-telepaths. Sanosuke's telepathic abilities are not as advanced as those of Soujirou's and Kaoru's; besides, sometimes, even if you *do* send a telepathic message to a non-telepath, they aren't guaranteed to be able to receive it. :p I know it's weird, so just humour me ok? 

(2) Old methods as in swords, kunais, darts, daggers, whatever. As long as it doesn't contain gunpowder, it's fine. 

(3) Yes, I know that Kenshin uses Heaven's Justice as well. I guess you could call it the motto of the Ishinshishi ne? 

(4) Significance of a black rose. It's the symbol that Black Dawn leaves behind after they assassinate someone. Kaoru's kinda the leader at this point, so a black rose is used. As to how on earth they get black roses well… let's not get into genetic engineering right now, kay? Mebbe they used black ink or summat. *Scratch head* whatever. They just use black roses, end of story. J 

(5) Remote viewing. In this fic, it just basically means that even though you're not at the incident or event or whatever, you can still see what the hell's going on. I understand that remote viewing involves leaving your body behind, and using your soul to go and see whatever, but well, Kenshin just can do it XD 

(6) Hara-kiri. Old method of suicide used by samurais in olden times. They usually resorted to this method if the daimyo that they served was killed. Kenshin stopped quite a few samurais from hara-kiri'ng themselves in the anime. 

(7) Ah, maybe some of you have noticed that Ken-chan hasn't mentioned his dreamwalking ne? Why? Well, a) he's just met these people; b) he probably thinks that it's not much use anyway, going into people's dreams and all that; and c) urm …he'd rather not let them no. As for the 'slightly telepathic abilities', he got them the haaard way. What, you say? Well… J that would be giving away the story; hehen~ 

(8) Anyone read L.J Smith? J if you do, I'm sure you can figure out. If you don't, then :p you'll find out as the story goes along, ne? XD I swear I'm so evil sometimes~ 

A/N: O_O Yet another huge chapter! I swear I don't know how my stories seem to run off like that _ I sure as hell won't get enough time to write chapters this long once school starts again, and that's like in 2 weeks. *Sigh* I'll just do as much as I can when the time comes, ne? Anyway, back to the fic J mwahhaha XD cliffhanger, no? I just had to do that! Are you all wondering why the hell Kenshin and Kaoru are reacting to each other like that? ^^ Mwahah…time will tell. Well, they finally met anyway; I hope that the chapter was up to your standards, because I had a tough time trying to portray Kaoru's emotions and character. Hard because I've only seen her portrayed as ya know, innocent, the light of hope, all that stuff. It's hard to mould her completely into an assassin because I can't make her be too cold and all that, because that just wouldn't work for her. Anyway, please do leave any comments and suggestions that could help me improve the fic, kay? Do R&R please, and if you have any fan art or anything that you want to send to me, please do ne? I'm trying to draw something up as well, but XD that's kinda far off into the story for one of the chapters XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you all in the next one! 


	6. Chapter 5: Awakening and Chaos!

Disclaimer: I don't think I own anything with red hair, a cross-shaped scar and amethyst eyes, nor do I own anything that tries to 'Shi-ne!' everything in sight ne? The HalfSoul concept was influenced by the soul mate principle in L.J. Smith's Nightworld, so that kinda belongs to me I guess. HalfSoul concept I mean.

A/N: Welcome back again! Thanks to everyone for reviewing! ^^ This chapter is a rather humour-induced one, and there's not much seriousness about it; Kenshin has taken up residence at the Black Dawn headquarters, and it is hectic to say the least! More information about Kenshin and Kaoru's 'connection' and what it means! Poor Kenshin gets on Kaoru's bad side! XD Mwahaha~ the KxK fans out there will probably enjoy this!

Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed, and special thanks to Tenken and Inuyasha22 for giving me the definition of Tenken! I also noticed the miscalculation in the number of years between 1997 and 2003 _ crap, totally forgot about that; thanks to DragoWolf for letting me know! I would have had this chapter up earlier, but my computer decided that it wanted to screw up, and I spent a whole day trying to piece everything back together. My modem still is screwed up, so that means that the laptop will have to go for repairs, and I have no idea when the hell it'll return to me. Never fear, I'll just use my mum's one, but I'm warning you in advance that it'll be way harder for me to update! So don't say I didn't tell you! Anywayz, have fun reading!

Reviewers' Space!

NightRain - Yup, Oro-chan's a Dreamwalker J among other things as well, of course. I'm glad you like the chapter! Nope, haven't read Dreamscapes before, but I've seen it around. J I think I'll read it soon!

Tsugoi Kakarlena - O_O Orororororo~ I will do my best to update as often as I can! ^^ Really glad that you like it!

InuYasha22 - Heyo ^^ I'm glad you like it so far! Btw thanks for the definition! ^^ Hope to see you around in the next couple of chapters too, ne?

can't-get-enough-anime - hello again! ^^ Too short? Mou~ it's not all done yet :p and I'm still figuring out the rest of the plot. :P Not to mention, if I wrote longer chapters, that would mean that it would take longer to update, so wouldn't that be worse? Besides, I don't want to add chapters to the story if I think they're crap, so I reread each chapter a couple times, then edit it, and finally when I'm satisfied, I post it. What happened to Kaoru? ^^ Oh, she fainted. Too much contact with Kenshin and all that. I guess you can kinda say: her circuits got fried _ ouch.

CurlsofSerenity - I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! I'll try my best to update as much as I can, but when school starts, that's gonna get tougher, so please be patient, ne? Arigatou!

Tenken - Thanks so much for the definition! Domo~ I hope you're enjoying the story!

rogue solus - yes, I love that line! XD you can always count on Sano to state the most obvious, and funny remarks. Yes, Saitou will be making an appearance soon enough ^^ :p of course, he'll get on Kenshin's nerves and vice-versa.

Random Reader-san - Hello, nice to see you again! *Gets starry eyes* ^^;; I'm glad that you like it so much! Do look forward to the rest of the story ne! ^^

Neko Oni - I know! But at least when you're writing for a hobby, you're writing for fun right? Not like you're being forced to write a huge report on acid-base equilibrium or something like that. You're lucky to have graduated. I've still got a whole semester to go before I'm outta high school. _ Sigh...Lol, I admit, :p they did indeed try to skewer poor Ken-chan, but hey, they didn't know each other in the first place ne? Hehen~ poor boy is gonna get tortured by authors like me :p I just *had* to add that line in from Sano! Seriously, the guy's humour can be so ribald! I'll try to update as fast as I can! Yiii~ What with my computer not detecting my modem and whatnot, I'm gonna be hard pressed, but I'll try to keep up with everything.

Dragowolf o_O Crap, I totally forgot about that! Thanks for telling me about that. I was gonna put 1995, but then I changed the plan on paper, and then forgot to changed it on the computer. Misao, now? Sorry, but I guess I'll have to say that you have to wait. I'm already having enough trouble with stuffing all the KxK in, and I've still got to introduce the rest of the group ie. Yahiko and Megumi. Someone's already started about Saitou -_- I swear, being a writer is so tough sometimes. Whatever the case, I'll try to bring her in as soon as I can, but until then, please enjoy the rest of the story! Weak crybaby? Misao? Somehow, that just doesn't seem to register in my brain, so you won't have to worry about that. Yes, yes, I'll write, I'll write. 

Dragona – I'm glad you enjoy it! Here's the next chapter, and I'll try to update the next ASAP!

On to the fic!

Chapter 5: Awakening…and Chaos!

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " "

Telepathy is in _italics_.

"So…did the meeting go on well between Himura and the Kamiya girl?" Morning had dawned on Japan, and Katsura was inquiring about the mission that Black Dawn had had the night before.

Takasugi grinned, remembering the events of the night before. "It was _interesting_ to say the least. There was some funny connection between him and the girl, and they couldn't seem to let go of each other's hands. Then they started acting as if they knew each other, and suddenly, the girl fainted. You have any idea how weird it was?"

The leader of the Ishinshishi smiled slightly. "It is as I saw then. They are indeed the halves of each other, and one cannot survive without the other. To gain a harmonious balance, they must have _that_ very connection." His eyes took on a faraway look.

Takasugi raised an eyebrow. 'Dear God, he's getting philosophical again.' Katsura often became rather un-understandable, to say the least, when he started talking about the paranormal. "Care to explain that?"

Katsura blinked twice, coming back to himself. "Ah, shitsurei shimashita. I got lost in my thoughts. Himura and Kamiya Kaoru are HalfSouls of each other." Judging by the bug-eyed look on Takasugi's bewildered face, he didn't seem to be making any sense at all.

"Say…what?"

Katsura sighed; it was going to be a long day.

~*~

Sunlight filtered through the window into Kaoru's room and she wearily opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the sleepiness from them, still entangled in the blankets of her futon. 'Wasn't there a mission last night? And how did I get back here?' Her mind felt like cotton wool as she tried to remember the events that occurred the night before, as she closed her eyes again to think. 

And promptly snapped them open when she remembered the amethyst eyes.

Only to stare right back at the pair that was hovering over her head. 

*Blink* 

*Blink Blink*

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Her scream reverberated through the whole house and Sanosuke and Soujirou footsteps pounded on the floor as they burst through the door to her bedroom.

"What's wrong Kaoru?" Soujirou inquired, taking in the fact that his sister was most definitely awake, and a swirly-eyed Kenshin was down on the floor for the count.

She pointed a shaking finger at the redheaded puddle on the floor next to her futon that had a huge red hand imprinted into the side of his face.

Soujirou resisted the urge to laugh, while Sanosuke loudly guffawed as he took in the sight of the poor assassin on the floor who seemed to have been slapped to the moons and back.

"I see you've met Himura-san." Soujirou commented dryly. "We met him last night on top of the Kanrii building, remember? He was just keeping a lookout on you while you were asleep, but I see that the poor man has been slapped into oblivion by your hand, dear sister."

Kaoru glowered at the still guffawing Sanosuke before having the grace to blush pink at her mistake. Kenshin had started to peel himself off the floor, hand going to his painful cheek and rubbing it. Kaoru immediately bowed to him in an apology, midnight tresses touching the floor. "Gomen nasai! I shouldn't have reacted like that!"

Kenshin smiled slightly. "Iya, it's not your fault. If it was anyone's fault, then it was mine, Kamiya-san."

Ocean blue eyes met smiling amethyst, and Kaoru had to turn her head away to hide the slight blush that touched her cheeks. Kenshin's little smile seemed to grow bigger as he noted her blush. Soujirou cleared his throat slightly, and the pair turned to look at him.

"Well, since you're awake, Kaoru, why don't you go take a shower or something?" He pointed to the outfit that she was still wearing from last night's mission. "We just put you into your futon," He grinned slightly. "But of course we wouldn't dare to help you change your clothes in fear of being whacked silly by you even in your sleep. Although you _were_ fully awake when poor Himura-san got on the receiving end of it." _You like him, don't you?_ The mental message didn't go unheard by his twin.

His twin glared pointedly at him, blush returning again while she growled angrily. "Kamiya Soujirou, you will pay for that!!!!" She was out of her futon in a flash and ran after her brother, who ran from the room. "Come back here you!" Her yells and his laughter echoed through the corridors of the house as the cat-and-mouse chase continued.

A sweatdrop was fast forming on Kenshin's forehead as he got up from the floor. "Are they always like this?" He asked Sanosuke.

The spiky-haired man nodded with a grin. "Yeah." He turned to leave. "Better start getting used to it!"

Kenshin was left alone in the room, shaking his head as he folded up Kaoru's futon, blankets and all. 'It just keeps getting stranger, doesn't it?'

~*~

"HalfSouls?" Takasugi rubbed his aching head; he had been up for more than 24 hours and the fatigue was starting to take it's toll on him, but he wanted to listen to what Katsura had to say before he returned back to the compound to sleep.

"Well, to explain what HalfSouls are, I'd have to backtrack a bit and talk about reincarnation first." Katsura allowed himself to grin at Takasugi's stricken look; the man loathed philosophy and religion. "In many myths and legends, a person's soul is reincarnated many times before it can eventually ascend to wherever it is that they go. However, in the process of reincarnation, sometimes one soul will be split into two. When this occurs, we call this a HalfSoul. There will therefore be two people walking around with half a soul each, when it is truly only one soul. It is often believed that twins are the HalfSouls of each other."

Takasugi opened his mouth to ask a question then, but Katsura already knew what was coming. "So you would think that the Kamiya twins already have a full soul between them, right?" Takasugi nodded. "Unfortunately, or fortunately - depending on how you look at it - even though the Kamiya twins are connected in some way, they are not HalfSouls of each other. From what you have told me of the mission that took place last night, it can be confirmed that Himura and Kamiya Kaoru are HalfSouls of each other. When one meets their HalfSoul, they will feel an unexplainable sense of familiarity and connection with the other HalfSoul."

"How do you know about all this HalfSoul business anyway?" Takasugi's mind was befuddled with how well informed Katsura was about this strange soulmate principle thing.

"Ah." Katsura's eyes crinkled at the sides. "That is because Ikumatsu-san is my HalfSoul, you see."

To say that Takasugi had eyes popping out of his head at that moment would not have been an understatement.

~*~

Kaoru released a happy, contented sigh as she sank into the hot water of the furo, allowing her hair to skim across the surface of the water as she enjoyed her bath. She had chased Soujirou around the whole house before finally cornering him and giving him two bumps on his head, which would probably last throughout the whole day. She frowned to herself as she started to lather her skin with soap; her twin was unfortunately, and infuriatingly correct in assuming that she _did_ somewhat find the redhead addition attractive. There was also the uncanny sense of familiarity that she felt about him, and it was driving her up the wall because she just couldn't seem to understand _why_ it was so. Kaoru was so lost in her thoughts as she got out of the bath and reached for the towel, that she failed to hear the knock on the bathroom door and the voice outside asking if anybody was inside, so, it was without doubt that she was shocked to no end when the door opened and Kenshin walked in.

The redhead's amethyst eyes were wide as saucers, and he couldn't stop himself from gawking at the raven-haired beauty who was standing naked in front of him. As his roving eyes started to rove down below her shoulders, Kaoru was brought back to reality and turned as red as a tomato. She grabbed the nearest object and threw it at him.

"HENTAAAAAAIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!" For the second time that morning, Kaoru's scream echoed throughout the house.

As the bar of soap hit him square in the face, he too, turned an unimaginable shade of crimson that matched the colour of his hair, hurriedly shutting the door behind him before anything else could land on him and he muttered incomprehensible apologies through the door as he stuttered.

"Sumimasen, Kamiya-san! I didn't know there was anyone in the bathroom so I opened the door! I'm really sorry!"

The other two men in the house had come up to the second floor to investigate the sound of the scream, and this time, both of them started laughing their heads off at the sight of Kenshin's face. The redhead winced at their laughter and wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him up. He had only been in the house for a few hours, and already he had the place in chaos. 'How on earth am I going to get out of this one?' He wrung his head in his hands, certain of the death he would suffer for walking in on Kaoru in the bath. 

The door to the bathroom suddenly burst open and a furious _clothed_ Kaoru stomped her way past the two laughing men and the other embarrassed one, all the way to her room, muttering curses under her breath and then slammed the door with enough force to shake up the whole house. Soujirou and Sanosuke exchanged looks of amusement with each other and a new peal of laughter ensued and they collapsed to the floor, while Kenshin's face continued to burn red as he leaned against the wall of the corridor.

Sanosuke slapped Kenshin across his back, still laughing. "Man, I've got to hand it to you. You've only been here one night, and already you've managed to make her scream twice! Will this be something that we'll have to deal with everyday? (1)"

Kenshin gave him a withering glance, then got up from his spot and made his way towards the room that Kaoru had disappeared into. His knuckles were poised to knock on the door when Soujirou's mental voice chuckled in his head.

_I wouldn't do that now if I were you. She's still too pissed off. Give her a few hours and she'll be back to normal; then you can apologize._

Kenshin nodded his thanks to the younger man and moved from the door, making his way down the stairs.

He slumped down into the sofa and rested on his arms which pillowed his head. 'How on earth do I get myself into these kinds of things? Only a couple of hours and I've already gotten on her bad side.' He still couldn't shake the fact that there was indeed something familiar about her. 'Or the fact that she's got such a good figure…Oro!' He blushed at the thoughts running through his mind, and they weren't entirely decent. Kenshin had expected to get a good shower after being stuck in his black turtleneck and faded black jeans for one whole night. But of course, fate had had other plans for him, so even though it wasn't his fault for walking in on Kaoru (he had, after all, knocked on the door and asked if there was anyone inside), he felt incredibly guilty, and slightly perverted.

As he closed his eyes, the events from the night before were pulled to the fore of his mind. It was undeniable that when he had touched her hand, there had been a spark of electricity, so to speak, that had travelled between them. And all those colours that he had been seeing… 'That was her mind!' He realized with a start. Strange as it could be, but he had indeed been seeing the colours of her mind, and undoubtedly, she must have seen his. He frowned slightly; there had been a sorrowful gray and depressing black that didn't mix into all the other colours that he had seen, and he wondered what could have caused it. Kenshin's thoughts started to drift again, and Kaoru's blue eyes seemed to fill his mind. 

He had volunteered to keep watch on her, and apparently her twin and Sanosuke had deemed him trustworthy enough to leave him in a room with her. Even when she was asleep, she had looked like the perfect beauty, the sleeping princess to him. He had wanted to reach a hand out to touch the soft midnight locks that were spread across the pillow, but his better judgement prevailed, and so he stayed in his corner of the room, waiting for her to wake. He had drifted into a light dreamless sleep when the rustle of blankets brought him back to the room, and he realised that she was awake, but hadn't sensed his presence there yet. Kenshin had moved to her bedside, wanting to watch the sleeping angel wake, and there was an inexplainable need to see her blue eyes. Kenshin smiled. The slap he had received for his curiousity was well worth it. Her eyes had seemed to be bottomless depths of blue and there were flecks of green and slight traces of light gold. If she hadn't slapped him, he was sure that he would have continued his staring at her eyes; it was as if there was a magnetic pull that drew him to her. 

If he didn't know better, he would have said that he was falling for her.

~*~

Kaoru raged around her room, the hot blush still on her face. 'That pervert! He was openly _gawking_ at me! Of all the nerve--!' Outrage made her pummel the pillow into submission. 'But no one's ever stared at me that way before…' The blush seemed to double in strength as she remembered the slightly heated stare that he had given her, and she could have sworn that she had seen amber flick across his amethyst gaze before disappearing again. 'Of course not!' Her mind berated. 'No one's ever walked in on you before! Sou-chan always knows when you want privacy, and Sano's not stupid enough to try!' She felt slightly embarrassed, because it wasn't his fault that he had walked in on her. If it was anyone's fault, it was hers, for not answering the door and for not hearing the knock. 'Mou! That still didn't mean that he had to stare like _that!_' She stopped in the middle of her tirade as she noticed that someone had been kind enough to fold up her futon for her. She frowned slightly 'Sou-chan was being chased around the house by me; Sanosuke is _never_ neat, so that leaves…'

'_Him…_'

She felt the guilt pile on like heated bricks now. 'He was nice enough to do that, and then I yelled at him for being a pervert, when it wasn't even his fault at all…' Twisting her fingers in her skirt, she made the decision to apologize to him, and strode out of the room, determined. She looked down the corridor…nothing. He couldn't have gotten very far, so she closed her eyes and threw out her senses. Even though she had only sensed his ki the night before during the mission, it was as familiar to her as if she had known it all her life. She made her way down the stairs quietly and then padded silently to the living room where she had felt he was. 

She nearly gasped at the sight of the beautiful man who was sprawled out on the sofa. Red hair cascaded over the sofa, wavy where it had been held back in a hair tie. His eyes were closed as if in peaceful sleep, but even in such a relaxed position, he seemed to radiate quiet strength and a will of steel. Kaoru crept closer to the redhaired angel who adorned the sofa. One eye opened to look at her, and his lips curled up into a smile; he had undoubtedly sensed her presence. He sat up, sweeping his legs of the sofa to make space for her. Kaoru was suddenly at a loss for words.

"I…um…that is…" She fumbled for the words, looking at anywhere but him.

"Gomen nasai." He made his apology first. "I didn't mean to walk in on you like that. I should have known that there was someone in the bathroom---"

"No, I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault, and I shouldn't have been dozing off in the bath tub like that." She looked up at him and realized that she shouldn't have.

The atmosphere seemed to hum with anticipation as they continued to stare at each other, spellbound. Kenshin reluctantly moved his face slightly, breaking the spell. "So…um…" she interrupted him.

"Since we got off on the wrong foot this morning, and well, me fainting was probably the worst introduction ever, let's start this again." Kaoru stuck out a hand towards him, smiling. "Kamiya Kaoru."

"Himura Kenshin." He took her hand.

And jumped slightly a second later, when he felt the sparks of electricity as his hand came into contact with hers. He stared at his hand as if it was possessed; Kaoru was regarding her own hand with the same intensity. There was that feeling of familiarity again.

"It's really strange…but I feel like I know you." Kaoru cradled her hand and looked up at him through her black bangs.

Kenshin nodded shakily. "I have the same feeling."

"Perhaps…we met before…?"

A mischievous grin lit Kenshin's face, and he never knew what possessed him to say the next sentence that came out of his mouth.

"Perhaps you saw me in your dreams."

He saw her eyes widen, and a faint blush lit her face; he slapped himself mentally for saying something like that, 'She probably thinks I'm trying to come onto her or something.' Realization dawned on him then, as memory clicked. 'Wait…those blue eyes…I really _did_ see her in a dream! That dream of a burning dojo…it was her!' He sighed in relief, glad to have found some kind of explanation to the familiarity that he felt. 

Kaoru however, was still clueless as to why he felt familiar to her. 

"Himura-san?" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"You can call me Kenshin, Kamiya-san."

"Well then, you can call me Kaoru, otherwise I'll never know whether you're referring to Sou-chan or me, ne?"

He smiled at her then, unaware of how she felt like she was melting inside.

"Ok, Kaoru."

And so, the HalfSouls were tied together, as the cogs of fate started to turn.

Notes

(1) Hee. Sano's dirty humour is kicking in again!

A/N: Phew, finally done! Sorry to have taken so darned long to get this done. Because my modem got fried, my computer got totally messed up and I had to do a system restore on it to get everything back to normal; I think some virus took it to hell and back…grr… I hope you enjoyed the extra long chapter; 3000 words, for taking so long to update! The next chapter should be out soon, and mwahah, Saitou's coming to visit! If you're really lucky, I might decide to bring in Aoshi and Misao as well. We'll see…you've just got to wait for the next chapter now! I hope that the HalfSouls explanation makes sense, ne? Thanks for reading! I'll try to get the next one up ASAP!


	7. Chapter 6: Spies and Visitors

Disclaimer: Saitou will Gatotsu you if you think that RK belongs to me, and Yohji will be more than happy to pull some wire over your throat if you think Weiss Kreuz belongs to me. Original shapeshifting concept belongs to L.J. Smith.

A/N: Well, aren't you people lucky. To make up for the delay of Chapter 5, I've decided to make it up to you guys and I've brought Chapter 6 up really fast. 2000+ words good enough for you? You also get to see Aoshi and Misao in action, as well as Saitou, so don't say that I'm not bringing them into the story fast enough! This chapter consists mostly of Aoshi's and Misao's spying mission, so there you go, AxM fans! There's Sou-chan teasing Kaoru as well about Kenshin, so enjoy! Thanks again to all the reviewers who have reviewed!

Reviewers' Space!

CurlsofSerenity – Yes, the sparks *do* when they get together! XD Mwahahhha~ Just you wait and see! The HalfSoul concept is kinda made up by me, and it's a bit of a combination of the soulmate principle from L.J. Smith's NightWorld series, and some stuff that I found on the internet. Glad that you're enjoying it!

InuYasha22 – Hey! I'm glad you liked it! ^^ Nothing better than a bit of fluff, ne? 

april-moon – how are they HalfSouls? Well, basically, it's just like what Katsura said in Chapter 5. One soul was split into two, so there are two people walking around with an incomplete souls, which is actually one soul. When these two people meet up, there is a) the familiarity that they feel with the other person, b) the 'touchy-feely' thing, where it feels as if you've just touched a live electric wire c) HalfSouls can also 'see' each others' minds in terms of colours (as Kenshin was going on about in the last chapter.)

Nope, Katsura is absolutely correct; Kenshin, unlike Katsura, had no clue about what HalfSouls are, so he wouldn't know otherwise. However, since Katsura has got some personal experience pertaining to the HalfSoul concept, he knows what exactly is going on. Kenshin puts the familiarity down to the dream because that's the only reason he can think off. The 'electrical charge' that he feels with Kaoru, and the 'seeing her mind in colour' though, proves that it is not the dream that is causing the sense of familiarity, but the HalfSoul connection that has kicked in. O_O erm…does that explain it?

Deseray – I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! ^^;; All I can hope for is that the plot goes on as planned, and doesn't go haywire or something! Yes, Kaoru and Kenshin will eventually be together, but it's going to take some prodding to get them there. ;) you'll see!

chris – It's not exactly a new concept since it's based on the soulmate principle, but it differs a bit from the original. Stay around for more updates!!

rogue solus – hahah! Yeah, Sano is truly the God of dirty humour ^^; And Saitou comes to visit! Mwahahha Double happies for the Aoshi and Misao as well as the Saitou fans, because, tadah~ they are all in this chapter! Nice ain't I? :p Yup, Megitsune will be showing up in the next couple of chapters, and so will Yahiko. Stick around to see them show up!

NightRain – Mmm… L.J. Smith's stuff is goooood. She's gone too long on a hiatus though; the newest NightWorld book was supposed to show up ages ago, but I haven't seen any new ones since Witchlight (I think that's the right name) came out. Hehe~ I named our lovely assassin group after one of her books in the NightWorld series, called Black Dawn. ^^ The name isn't such a mystery now ne? Hehe~

I'm glad that you enjoyed chapter 4! _ I keep referring back to my old chapters to ensure that I haven't left something out, or repeated something again (because I really seem to have a bad habit of doing that a lot of the time). Yup, your comment makes perfect sense XD thank you! Wow o_O does it really seem like a novel? Kewl ^^;; that'll be the day when I ever publish my fanfiction! Hahah :p as if! ^^ but thanx for the compliment anyway. "The Last Dragonlord"? What's it about, other than dragons? Fantasy stuff really gets to me, and so does magick and all that ^^ I'll hunt around my local bookstore to see whether they have it; thanks for the recommendation! Mmm…I'm glad that the HalfSoul concept makes sense; I was beginning to worry about confusing people _ I had loooads of fun writing that chapter! Mwahahah XD Our redhead's all grown up! *Snicker* XD ooh, the dream? Well he dropped the hint already, didn't he? :p All we have to do now is see whether she remembers it or not, or whether Katsura decides to tell them both what is going on XD hehe. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

irksome one – XD I like your nick name! lol ^^;; FYI, my computer *has* indeed gone back to normal ;p thanks for whacking it; it's stopped playing dead now! And tadah! Here's the chapter! ^^

can't-get-enough-anime – nah, that's ok ^^ J and longer updates are better than no updates ne? don't worry, I'll try to update as much as possible in this last week of holidays that I've got left so that I've got less to worry about when school starts. ^^ Ah~ as always, here's the next chapter! XD Mwahhaha

Dragowolf - Yup! Here are Aoshi and Misao! See? I'm being nice here, when I could've just have Saitou only instead :p 

On with the fic!

Chapter 6: Spies and Visitors

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " "

Telepathy is in _italics_.

"Target's on the move." A quiet voice cut through the shadows of the night.

"Tail him." Aoshi replied through the little microphone attached to the collar of his long-sleeved black outfit. He allowed his eyes to _shift_ (1) a little to keep a closer eye on both his subordinates and the target that they were spying on. His slitted cat eyes followed his targets movements.

He looked down as a black furry body curled up around his legs and he met the green eyes of a large black cat. 

_ Chii_ (2)_, follow him and see where he goes. _Shift_ back after you've gotten the information that we need._

The cat purred once, and jumped off the roof, landing silently on it's four feet before snaking it's way through the thin crowd towards Orisura Jin. Aoshi watched on as a masked figure landed behind him silently. He gave orders to him without turning around.

"Hannya, I'm placing you in charge. I'm going after Chii to make sure she's safe."

The man in the mask bowed once, "Hai, Okashira." And then disappeared into the night once more.

Aoshi _shifted_ into hawk form, shrinking smaller and smaller as he changed, and he heard his bones creak as they changed into a hollow frame to form the skeleton for his wings. Feathers sprouted on his body and his nose elongated, turning hard and yellow to form a beak. He flapped his wings experimentally, to make sure that he had completely changed; it would be easier to follow Misao this way, and he wouldn't be as conspicuous as if he was leaping across rooftops in human form, or worse still, in the panther form that he liked best. It was close to morning, but that didn't mean that there weren't people around to see. 'That would certainly be too conspicuous, and they would undoubtedly know that they were being followed.' Aoshi took off into the air, gliding on the wind as he effortlessly followed the duo.

As Misao's teacher in both ninjitsu and shapeshifting, he felt that he was responsible for her safety, even though it really was a mission that she was more than capable of handling. There should really be no problem, because all they were doing was spying; they were not there to kill tonight. He was, however, concerned about how long she could keep her shifted shape (3), as she had only been training for the past two years, whereas Aoshi himself had been training for the past 10 years. He was well versed in the arts of shapeshifting, and although Misao was a bit of a natural, that didn't stop him from worrying about her.

'I'm not worried about her.' He corrected himself. 'It is a teacher's duty to look after their student and this is all I am doing.' Satisfied with his argument, he continued to fly from rooftop to rooftop, trailing the movements of both Orisura Jin and Makimachi Misao.

~*~

Misao kept an eye on her target as she dodged the feet of humans that could easily squash a cat, always keeping him in sight, but never moving too close to be detected. Although she should have nothing to fear from a human, the strange feeling in her stomach seemed to tell her otherwise, and so she was wary. In her line of work, instincts and intuition came first, sense and logic be damned. Instincts had saved her life more times than she could count and she wasn't about to disregard them; detection would mean that her cover would be blown, and the whole Oniwa Banshuu organization would be discovered. It was something that she couldn't risk. 

Her family had been part of the Oniwa Banshuu ever since it had been established in the early 15th century (4), and her mother had been the Okashira before Jiya had taken over after she had died. Both her parents had died during missions while she was still young, and so she had been brought up by the rest of the Kyoto Oniwa Banshuu, and had been taught well by all the members, especially Jiya and Aoshi. For as far back as she could remember, Aoshi had always been a part of her life; teaching her how to throw a kunai properly; watching quietly while Hannya taught her kempo; shapeshifting with her. There wasn't a memory that she had which had no Aoshi in it. As a child she had loved him as a brother, and now, as a young girl of 19, she loved him as a woman loved a man. Although his tough icy exterior seemed impenetrable, she was certain that he would smile one day, and when that day came, she wanted to be around to see it. 

She wanted to be the reason for his smile.

Orisura Jin turned into a traditional teahouse, and Misao snuck in behind him, following him. Strangely enough, nobody seemed to think that a black cat in a teahouse was a strange occurrence, and so Misao encountered no trouble. She ducked behind a wall as he slid the shoji door to a room open, and heard two other men greet him as she snuck into the room. Misao hoped that none of the men disliked cats, and that she'd be able to hear what she needed to, and then slip out of there to convey the information to her Okashira. 

"Is that cat yours, Jin?" One of the men had already noticed her presence.

"Huh?" The addressed person looked down at his feet to find a black cat purring up at him. "Not at all."

"What's a cat doing in here anyway?" The other man was slightly suspicious; he had heard stories of animals that appeared out of nowhere during the most top secret meetings, and then slinking away after the meetings were over. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the oblivious cat which was licking its paw while it rubbed against Jin's leg. Now that he thought about it, some of the deals that had been almost done had been cancelled because information had leaked, and the police had seemed to know their movements more than enough times to make it suspicious. He would have to keep an eye on that cat just to make sure. 

The men sat down around the table and began their talk. Misao curled up around one of the legs of the short table. 

"How much are they willing to pay for the 5 new girls that are coming in next Tuesday?"

"2 million yen each if they are fresh and untouched. 1 million if the girl is not a virgin."

Misao's claws dug into the table leg as she realized what they were talking about. The slave auction. It was, of course, against the law, but that never stopped the yakuza from continuing their despicable dealings. There had been rumours that there was to be one soon, and Misao figured that it was this particular slave auction that they were talking about. Girls, and some boys from the ages of ten to fifteen were either kidnapped, or taken off the streets to be sold at slave auctions. The transactions often took place underground, and the 'slaves' were sold at unbelievable prices, and were used to perform inhuman deeds. The lifespan of a 'slave' was one month, tops. After that, their owner would most likely get bored, and have them killed, only to buy another one a few days later. Misao had found a few of the remains of the slaves, and the picture was far from pretty. 

She seethed inwardly now, and forced herself to remain calm as the involuntary growl rose in her throat. The men didn't seem to notice, and in fact, one of them asked for a saucer of milk for her. The conversation continued.

Jin was speaking again. "The Sanshuu have decided to host the event in the disco behind the Ikedaya Teahouse called Carousel. It will be underground of course. First come first serve. The better products will of course be sold first." The hackles on Misao's back began to rise when she heard this man calling fellow humans 'products'. 'The fucking bastard!' She seethed. A saucer of milk was suddenly put in front of her nose, and she blinked at it, before realizing that she should start lapping up the milk like a proper cat would so that she didn't give herself away. 

The man who had been suspicious relaxed slightly as the cat lapped up the milk. He had slipped some poison powder into it, and by the looks of it, the cat hadn't noticed at all. It didn't matter to him whether it was a spy or a real cat; the precautions taken were necessary. If it was indeed a real cat, then it wouldn't matter if it died, and if it was indeed a spy, then that would be one less problem to worry about. He watched with satisfaction as the cat licked up the last drop.

~*~

Aoshi watched the proceedings in the room from a nearby window, still in hawk form. His insides turned to ice as he saw one of the men slip something into the saucer of milk that was meant for Misao. From the colour of the powder, he figured that it must be bloodroot (5). 'Shimatta! I have to get Misao out of there as soon as possible, and then get an antidote to it, otherwise she'll die!' It seemed to take an eternity for the men inside to leave, and he saw Misao stay in the room, waiting patiently for them to leave before she too left. The moment she started moving, he knew that the poison had already taken effect. He flew from the window into a dark alley, changing hurriedly back into human form again, and the cold bit into his skin as it cut through the skintight black bodysuit that he could barely manifest when he shifted. Making his way quickly to the teahouse, he got there just as Misao collapsed, still in her cat form. Aoshi's eyes burned an icy blue as he seethed with anger, but he couldn't follow the bastards and kill them; Misao's life was in danger at the moment. He moved back into the alley again, shifting back into hawk form. Gathering the small unconscious body gently in his claws, he took off as fast as he could towards the Black Dawn headquarters. 

He only hoped that he would be fast enough.

~*~

"Ohayo." Was Kaoru's sleepy reply as she joined Soujirou and Kenshin at the dining table. Kenshin had settled well into the Black Dawn household, and had gone back to Kyoto to move some of his stuff from the compound into his new living quarters. His room was next to Kaoru's, and no more accidental-walking-into-the-bathroom-while-bathing incidents had occurred. It had been slightly more than 2 weeks since Kenshin had moved in, and the others were already used to him being around the place.

"Ohayo." They replied.

Kaoru accepted the bowl of miso soup that Kenshin passed to her. She inhaled the salty scent of the steam; it was a better wake-up drink to her than coffee was. "Arigatou." The soup warmed her and her mind finally decided to wake up properly. 

"Kenshin-san's cooking is infinitely better than yours, Kaoru." His blue eyes twinkled at her from across the table and she glowered right back at him. Kenshin chuckled at the exchange between the twins. "Maa, maa, Kaoru's cooking isn't all that bad." The stare turned on him and he froze slightly. "I mean, it's not bad at all!"

_ You see? _ Soujirou smiled at Kaoru. _He's so obviously smitten over you that he'd say your cooking isn't bad, when in fact _everyone_ knows that they might die from it! _He could practically see a vein popping on the side of her head as she threw a string of curses at him.

_ Shut. Up. Sou-chan._

The mental laugh that echoed in her mind only made her angrier.

The knock on the front door drew them out of their laughter, and they automatically slipped into assassin mode. Kaoru grabbed a knife, holding it in a backhand grip, while Kenshin and Soujirou grabbed their katanas which had been lying nearby. The men made their ways to the windows on either side of the front hall, while Kaoru moved towards the front door. 

"Who is it?" Kaoru called out.

There was a release of breath, and then a sarcastic voice spoke. "Ore da, tanuki-musume."

Kaoru and Soujirou relaxed at the sound of the voice. It could only be their father's closest friend, almost a relative. No one else spoke that way.

Saitou Hajime.

Kaoru opened the door, beaming at him. "Saitou Oji-san! What are you doing here?" The man himself was standing there in full police uniform, a smoking cigarette dangling between his fingers. 

Saitou eyed the knife she was holding, and then the katana that was still clutched in Soujirou's hand, stepping into the house as Kaoru shut the door behind him. "Is this any way to greet your uncle?" His golden eyes flickered over the rest of the house before resting on a certain redhead. His eyebrows rose higher.

"Ah, the chibi-gaki (6)."

Kaoru and Soujirou turned to see what he was looking it, and found Kenshin standing there. Kaoru was surprised to see that he looked absolutely, infinitely pissed off. 'And his eyes have turned amber too.' She thought, 'They only turn amber when he's on a mission or…' Her thoughts ended there as she recalled the bathroom incident, and she put a lid upon them.

"Mibu no Ookami." Kenshin acknowledged smoothly.

The atmosphere in the room thrummed with pent up tension, and both the fighters seemed ready to leap at each others' throats at any second. The tension was so thick that you could have cut it with a knife. Kaoru and Soujirou exchanged perplexed and worried glances, mutually agreeing on one decision. _Stop them before they kill each other!_

Before they could move, there was a flurry of knocks on the door, and the attention of all the four in the front hall suddenly riveted to the door. The knocks came again, and Kaoru approached the door; Saitou readied his gun while Kenshin and Soujirou once again had their hands on the hilts of their swords. 

"Who's there?"

A voice laden with fatigue and worry answered her question. 

"Open the door Kaoru! It's me."

Kaoru hurriedly opened the door to find Aoshi on the doorstep, with what looked like an unconscious cat in his arms. He thrust the cat into Kaoru's arms. "Read me. (7)" He said, and promptly collapsed on the doorstep.

Dictionary

Okashira – leader (of a group), chief

Ninjitsu – the art that a ninja learns

Oniwa Banshuu – The spy organization that Aoshi and Misao are in. 

Kempo – Martial art; bit like thai boxing if you think about it. Exclusive use of your body as a weapon. Correct me if I'm wrong, ne?

Kunai – 'darts' that are used by ninjas. Misao's weapons of choice.

Yakuza – Japanese gangsters/mafia

Sanshuu – Literally means '3 colours' (borrowed from Samurai Deeper KYO, hehe); one of the Yakuza groups in this story.

Shimatta – 'Damn it!' Although this doesn't seem like much of a swear word, in Japan, it is considered very rude if you curse in any form or manner. So, let's just say that it's kinda the equivalent of 'f***' or 'shit'.

Ohayo – good morning

Maa maa – kinda soothing-like noises that Kenshin often makes to calm Kaoru down J

Katana – Type of Japanese sword. Longer than a tanto, shorter than a tachi. _ but let's not get into the types of swords, or we'll be here forever!

Ore da, tanuki-musume – 'It's me, raccoon-daughter/raccoon girl.' Musume means daughter, but well, if you really want to be particular, then we could use tanuki-onna instead. Whatever. It's Kaoru's nickname that's been assigned to her by none other than Saitou.

Oji-san = uncle. It's confusing because oji**i**-san is *grandfather*. Strange that only a single hiragana depicts the two apart.

Chibi-gaki – little brat. ^^;;; Saitou's referring to Kenshin here! O_O

Mibu no Ookami – Mibu's wolf. Saitou's codename.

Notes:

(1) _shift_– short form for shapeshifting. People who can shapeshift are known as shapeshifters, or 'Shifters for short. Aoshi and Misao are 'Shifters, if you haven't figured it out by now.

(2) _Chii_ – literally means 'small'. Misao's codename in the Oniwa Banshuu. ^^;;; Fitting, don't you think? ^^;

(3) Since Misao is only an amateur 'shifter, it will be harder for her to maintain her shifted shape, than it would for Aoshi. Although there is indeed no time limit as to how long you can stay for in a shape, the more advanced you are in shapeshifting, the longer that you can stay in a shifted shape.

(4) I have absolutely no idea when the Oniwa Banshuu was supposedly created, so I just made up a date for it. If anyone does know, then please tell me, ok? Thanx.

(5) Bloodroot. Funny herb that I created from out of nowhere. If it does exist, then I have absolutely no idea what it does. In this chapter, it is used as a potent poison that can kill, even in small amounts. It is mixed with a liquid, and then ingested, where it is then absorbed into the bloodstream, and then does havoc to your body. The effects take about 20 minutes to 1 hour to show, and the victim usually dies after a couple of hours. People who are trained in martial arts _ may_ be able to hold off the effects longer than a normal person would. Misao is able to do this.

(6) Ah, you're probably wondering why Saitou is referring to Kenshin as chibi-gaki (little brat). It has something to do with Kenshin's past, and I'm not going to go on about it in here, but I'll work it out when I'm done with this fic, and can start working on **Fallen Path** again. Until then, this is just one of the cryptic things in the fic. XD mwahahha

(7) "Read me." So what is this cryptic sentence that Aoshi says to Kaoru? Well, he's just giving her the permission to read his mind. Although Kaoru and Soujirou could easily skim his mind without permission, they respect people enough (except those that they're meant to kill) to get their permission first before going into their minds. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. pple! The reason that he's asking her to read his mind is so that she can find out what's happened to Misao, and so that she can get the antidote for it. 

A/N: Yiii. Took me a very short time to put everything into this, and I have no idea why, but it's just sooo much easier to write stuff for this fic than my Inuyasha fic. _ there's only the epilogue left to go, but urgh, I've barely even started on it. Guess that's going on the backburner too. ^^;;; 

Anyway, I hope that appeased Aoshi, Misao and Saitou fans, since they've all appeared in this chapter (*phew* a load off my mind!), and I hope that you like the 'shifting concept. My computer (strangely enough) seems to have been playing games with me, because when I went to fix it today, there was nothing wrong with the modem although I couldn't connect at all at home! *Gives computer an evil look* so everything's back to normal now, and I hope to see you all soon! Megumi will be showing up in the next one or two chapters, and Yahiko should be too. XD Just stay with me ne? ^^ See ya'll in the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 7: Fever Dreams

Disclaimer: Need I say this again? Much as I would love to own the phrases "Oro?" and "Shi-ne"¯, I don¡¯t so that more than proves my point. Original Hex concept belongs to Rhiannon Lassiter, while the original soulmate principle and shapeshifting concepts belong to L.J. Smith. Wakaru no? 

A/N: ^^ Everyone seems pleased with the last chapter that I put up really early to make up for Chapter 5 being late. ^^ Thanks to everyone who reviewed! This chapter begins where chapter 6 left off, and Kaoru does some mind-reading on Aoshi. Sanosuke finally demonstrates some of his (terribly terrible) telekinetic abilities and poor Kenshin must avoid getting clobbered by stuff! ^^ Some AxM fluff too! Sit back and enjoy the show! 

Reviewers' Space! 

rogue solus - o_O 'Kouri-sama'? Now that's something I've never been called before. ^^;; the honourific term is far beyond me, but er...thanks anyway ^^ I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! It was mucho fun to write, but Saitou got less exposure than I had intended to write, coz Aoshi and Misao took up the space ^^;; hehe. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter! 

the squirrel - Thank you! I'm trying to write as much as I can, and I'm also trying to keep the plot as interesting as possible so that people won't fall asleep! ^^;; I'm glad you're enjoying it! Please stick around to read more! 

Curlsof Serenity - Hehehn~ good? ^^ Ah, here's the next one already ^^ It *is* obvious that Aoshi has feelings for Misao, but well, you know Iceman being Iceman, will never admit to his feelings unless he gets a whacking from all the characters involved, and then some. Mwahah. Don't worry XD I'll pound it into his senses soon before Sou-chan takes over! Lol. Yeah, hawks and cats huh? ^^;;; I couldn't very well have a huge black panther jumping over Tokyo now, could I? If that was the case then Black Dawn's cover would have been blown in no time! That's why I had to settle for the hawk. ^^ Stick around for the next chapter, and thanx for reviewing! 

ewunia - Ah, yes, Kaoru is strong, ne? She has to be somehow, considering that she's got to act both as an assassin and a normal person at the same time; I think that all of them are strong in their own ways, but Kaoru stands out because she is a woman, and well, most women would be hard-pressed to keep up with that. Hehe~ yeah, ^^ I took advantage of those similar characteristics to make Soujirou, Kaoru and Aoshi related ^^ I'm glad you like the supernatural bits; it's really fun to write ^^ See you around in the next chapter too, ne? 

missaw - Yup, I'll update as much as I can! 

Tsugoi Kakarlena - XD Hehen~ glad you're enjoying it so much! 

can't-get-enough-anime - Oh don't worry, Misao is fine (she will be!). Nope, Kenshin and Saitou weren't fighting at the Black Dawn headquarters, but they would have if Aoshi hadn't interrupted them ;p 

InuYasha22 - Thankies! Animorphs? I used to ^^ I remember that 2 hour time limit thing that they have, but the shapeshifting idea for this fic was borrowed from the NightWorld series by L.J. Smith. 

Angie - Do stick around for more chapters, and I'm glad you like it~! 

vindemon64 - =) Of course. As soon as I can. 

Rapyer2986-Malik's Mika - Wow, that's one long nickname, if you don't mind me saying so. ^^ What would you suggest for Misao's nickname? It was just something that I came up with on the spur of the moment, and well *chuckles* she is short, but then again, so are most of the others :p Thanks for the correction! I'll change it! Although I have to say that there are quite a few different ways to fight empty-handed even if it is Chinese. ^^ I practice some myself, but well, that's another story. Thanks again for the help and do stick around for more! 

giggleplex - Ah, FFIX fan I see. ^^ Thanks for reading my fic, and thanks for your review too! 

Neko Oni - Lol, I know, a rare treat indeed for the readers, considering that it's never going to happen again! XD Mwahah. Besides, I wouldn't have time to update as fast as that once school starts. -_- I can only imagine the amount of essays that I'll have to write for Law, not to mention Biology or numerical nonsense for Accounting. Ah, the life of a student. I know what you mean! I've been rummaging through the archives of ff.net looking for nice long stories to read ^^; There goes the phone bill! Yes, dear Mr. Sarcasm is back with us and more sarcastic than ever, lol! There is of course a reason as to why Kenshin is called chibi-gaki, but we'll come to that whenever I get the side story finished :p Haha! Yeah, but that would make Saitou a really young grandfather then! *evil grin* It took me quite some time to figure out what animal Misao should shift into during the spy mission, and I did contemplate just plopping her as a weasel...but then I remembered that I have no idea what a weasel looks like! ^^;;;; And besides, yes, it would look rather strange to find a weasel in Japan ne? heh. See ya around in the next chapter! 

Dragowolf - Ah, a happy reviewer is a good reviewer. ^^ Lol, don't mind me. o_O Why on earth would I want to kill Misao anyway? She's too fun a character to have to kill off -_- but then again I did kill off the two main characters of my Inuyasha fic, but well, that's something else entirely! I'm glad you like how I portrayed Misao XD coz in my eyes that's how I see her. Now all we need to do is get the ice blockhead to admit that he has feelings for her! 

kuikkick - Ah, you're probably better off watching the anime than the manga. It *is* pretty good, but the animation starts to suck near the end of anime. The manga has much better artwork, but there's only two books, and then after that it's kinda left hanging. There is of course the sequel to the original series, but they had to change the character designs coz the mangaka sued them! Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying the fic at any rate, and I'll stop promoting Weiss Kreuz now! Lol. My school starts on July 15th. Don't worry, it's just how the college I'm going to works. Since our programme is rather hectic, they've got to squeeze in as many days of school as possible. Thanks for reviewing! 

chai girl - XD I think I'm happy that you're speechless ^^;; lol. Thanks for reading and reviewing and see you around next chapter! 

Now...on to the fic! 

Chapter 7: Fever Dreams 

Thoughts are in ¡® ¡¯ 

Speech is in ¡° ¡± 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

"Shit!" Kaoru wasn't fast enough to stop Aoshi from collapsing on the doorstep, and she still had the cat in her arms. She passed the cat carefully, but swiftly to Soujirou who had come up behind her. 

"Saitou-ojisan, I believe that the cat isn't a cat, so since you're a 'Shifter (1), could you try to pull whoever it is out of his or her form?" Saitou nodded silently, taking the cat from Soujirou and moved to the kitchen. 

Kenshin and Kaoru moved at the same time to grab Aoshi and move him to the couch, and she smiled at him gratefully. 'He asks no questions but he somehow seems to know when to help and when to back off.' Soujirou grabbed Aoshi's legs and together they heaved the lanky man onto the couch. Kenshin moved off to get a cold compress for Aoshi before Kaoru could even ask him to, and she sent him a mental message. 

_Thank you._ She was slightly surprised when he replied in the same manner before he disappeared from her line of sight. 

_You're welcome. _

She turned towards her unconscious cousin who was lying on the couch. Soujirou left the area to wake Sanosuke up and Kaoru gently brushed her cousin's bangs away from his forehead, then pressed her fingertips gently against it. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes, and then she dived into his mind (2). Kaoru brushed away the mental barriers to his mind easily with a flick of her wrist, pushing memories around to find the most recent one. 'Black cat...black cat...' Her line of thought broke off when she found what she was looking for. She urged the memory to unfold as she prodded it gently with her fingers and watched the scene run before her eyes. As she watched, she could feel Aoshi's memories feeding her more information. This black cat with the jade green eyes was Aoshi's student; a fellow Oniwa Banshuu. Kaoru smiled slightly. 'And she's obviously more important to him than just being a mere student.' She could feel some of the emotions that he felt when he thought about this Misao. 'He's probably too idiotic to realize it though.' Her cousin had always maintained an icy cold exterior about him; icy walls to high for any human to scale, and even though Aoshi was indeed the closest to her and Soujirou, he still maintained a distance from them, so it wasn't surprising that he was doing the same with this girl. 

Kaoru followed the memory until she found the cause for Misao's condition, then she withdrew from Aoshi's mind quickly, patting the layers back together and left his mind just the way that she had found it. When she pulled out of his mind, she found that Kenshin was right next to her, and she could almost feel the worry emanating from him. 'Not right now.' She thought, before noting that her twin had returned with a (surprise surprise) awake Sano. Kenshin had placed a cold compress on Aoshi's head, and Kaoru was sure that he would wake up soon enough; even though he had indeed been flying in hawk form for a couple of hours to get to the Black Dawn headquarters, the man would recover quickly from his fatigue with just a very short nap. Kenshin offered her a cloth, and it was only then that she realized that sweat was dripping down the sides of her face. Kaoru accepted it from him gratefully, silently wondering how on earth he knew what she needed even before _she_, herself knew (3). 

_Your emotions are running over._ She didn't expect to hear a reply, and she turned to the redhead; the mental message had come from him. 'How did he...' 

Saitou's voice broke her line of thought. "Kaoru, I need some help here." 

Sending Kenshin a 'We need to talk later' look, she went quickly to the kitchen. Saitou was frowning, and it was a bad sign; the problem was more serious than it looked. 

His eyes met hers. "The poison is interfering in my calling her back. I can't seem to bring her out of it, so I'll need your help, as well as Soujirou's." 

"Sanosuke, please go to the shed with Kenshin and find some jasper stone and red rosehip; we need an antidote for bloodroot." She asked of them without turning around. The men turned to go. "Please hurry." The softness of her voice belied the urgency in it. 

~*~ 

Misao opened her eyes in the darkness. She looked around, and found that she was in human form once again. 'What is this place, and why am I here?' There was nothing except the surrounding darkness and a hint of fear was creeping into her. 

"Aoshi-sama?" She called out tentatively. No response; why would she expect one anyway? He always used the most unorthodox methods of appearing behind her when she least expected it. Something echoed in the distance, and Misao whipped her head around to see it. Nothing. 

_Misao..._ A whisper trailed in her mind. Something and nothing all at once. Silence reigned for a few seconds before the voice came again, more insistent this time. 

_Misao...!_

'Am I hearing things?' The 'voice' sounded vaguely like Aoshi, worry underlying cool ice. A tall silhouette of the man appeared in front of her, and she reached instinctively towards it. "Aoshi-sama!" Her fingers went through the ghost. 

"Misao-chan?" There was a woman's voice behind her. She turned to look and found three people waiting there. A tall man with amber eyes, and a young man and woman by him with matching ebony locks and turquoise eyes. She squinted at the younger man. If he was taller and had a colder aura around him, he would have been a dead ringer for Aoshi. 

"Dare?" She whispered; all of a sudden she felt tired. 

The girl with the long ebony locks reached a hand out towards her. "Come back to us. To Aoshi." 

Misao's closing eyes opened at the mention of his name. "Aoshi...sama?" 

"Aa. (4)" The younger man stepped forward as well, offering his hand; a mirror of the young girl. 

Eyes the colour of tarnished gold watched as the girl with emerald eyes reached out towards the twins and he closed his eyes just before a blinding white light flashed. 

~*~ 

Sanosuke pushed the heavy wooden door to the shed open, and the hinges creaked hideously; both men winced at the sound before the musky smell of the shed floated out. Sunlight shined through the only dusty window in the shed, and Kenshin could see that no one had been in here for quite some time. His violet eyes turned slightly amber in the darkness; it was much easier to see this way. Sanosuke walked in behind him. 

"What did jou-chan say she wanted again?" 

"Jasper stone and red rosehip." Was the soft reply. He peered into dusty jars, rubbing the grime off with his sleeve to get a better look; his clothes could always be cleaned, there was someone's life at stake here right now. 

Sanosuke reached for the jars that were on the higher shelves, biting back a sneeze when the dust wafted down, tickling his nose. He cursed inwardly; there were more than a hundred jars in here, how on earth would they be able to get what they wanted without taking hours on end, let alone 10 minutes? 

_We've brought her back. We need the herbs soon!_ Soujirou's mental voice pressed into their minds and the sense of urgency increased, but the men had found nothing that they wanted so far. 

"Screw this." Sanosuke muttered, terribly frustrated. 'Desperate measures call for desperate means'. Kenshin looked over at him from his dusty spot near the bottom of the shelves. "Could you remote view the herbs and then tell me where they are so I can get them out?" 

There was a questioning look on the red head's face, but his eyes soon turned dull while he searched for the essence of the herbs. Sanosuke waited impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground, and made more dust rise. Kenshin soon rose from the floor; he had found what they wanted easily. 

"Third jar at the back on the 5th shelf, and eigth one on the right of the 2nd shelf." 

"Thanks." The tall assassin rubbed his hands together before closing his eyes to concentrate. 

"You might want to stand back a bit." 

Kenshin was about to ask what he meant by that, when a jar came whizzing down out of nowhere, and he ducked to avoid it, feeling the jar swoosh past his head. Memory clicked. 'Oh. This is the 'very bad' telekinesis that he was telling me about.' 

"Sorry!" Sanosuke grunted out, and sweat was running down his face as he tried to concentrate hard. His telekinesis had only manifested about 2 years ago, and he was still having trouble with trying to control it; hence the very bad lack of control over floating objects. It wasn't as if he knew anyone who could practice telekinesis with him, and so he couldn't exactly develop his talent. 

Another jar whizzed towards Kenshin and he barely stopped it from connecting with his stomach. He clutched the jar to himself, ducking all the other incoming objects that were whizzing around in the air. Then just as suddenly as the jars had started levitating, they floated slowly to the ground, and all flying activity stopped. Sanosuke was clutching a jar, breathing heavily as sweat dripped down his face, staining the long untouched ground. 

"Let's go." 

~*~ 

Jade green eyes opened to find two pairs of deep blue eyes staring worriedly at her while a pair of dispassionate amber looked on from behind them, and she heard a collective sigh come from the two who were closer to her. She frowned slightly; why was she wrapped up in a blanket, and where were her clothes? Pain lanced through her body and she convulsed on the table; Kaoru quickly held her down, wiped the sweat from her brow. 

"Please try to stay still. There is bloodroot poison in your body, and any movement will just make it flow faster." Misao's fevered green eyes peered up at her. 

"Aoshi...sama?" Her voice was a shaky whisper. 

"Don't worry, he's alright. He's just sleeping for a bit right now, he'll be awake soon-" Movement from the couch affirmed her sentence. Dark glossy hair came into view and quiet footsteps echoed on the kitchen tiles. His blue eyes met Misao's green, and Kaoru moved out of the way to make space for him. He cupped her face in one hand and stroked her cheek with the back of another. Her disheveled state didn't seem to bother him at all. 

"Are you alright?" Bottomless pale blue eyes searched through faltering emerald. Misao nodded slightly, afraid to speak, and shivered within the folds of the blanket. Her skin was clammy and cold to Aoshi's warm touch, but she was sweating. The bloodroot was starting to fully penetrate her body, and she was starting to grow feverish. 

Hurried footsteps rushed back into the house and they looked up to see Kenshin and Sanosuke holding two dusty jars, and the men themselves were fairly covered in dust. The taller of the two held up the jar he was holding, and gave his audience a crooked smile. "We got what you need." Kaoru noted that he was panting heavily, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

"You know you're not supposed to use it! (5)" She berated him, slippers whispering across the floor as she moved to take the jar from him, promptly shoving him to the ground with an easy push of her hand. 

Soujirou removed a pestle-and-mortar from one of the kitchen cupboards, ready to grind the jasper stone and red rosehip together for the antidote. He was surprised when Kenshin took the bowl from him. "Nani?" He watched as Kenshin placed a piece of jasper into the bowl, and then moved back from it slightly. 

"Soujirou, please move back." The younger man complied, still confused. 

Kenshin shut his eyes slowly, and his brow furrowed, as if he was concentrating hard. His eyes snapped open an instant later, and everyone in the house heard something shatter (6). Satisfied, he moved towards the bowl; the single piece of jasper stone had shattered into millions of small pieces in the mortar, and it was much easier to grind. Kenshin reached into the jar that contained the red rosehip; they all watched him, entranced at the grace he displayed even when doing so simple such as grinding an antidote. 

Kaoru's mental voice echoed in his mind quietly. _How did you do that?_ Kenshin flashed a wry smile at her before handing her the grinded potion. 

_Experience._ He replied. 

She frowned, many questions forming in her head even as she prepared the jasper and red rosehip antidote, placing the powder into a tall glass before pouring in some hot water. 'He might have been around for only 2 weeks, but we still know close to nothing about him.' The vermilion haired angel had volunteered almost nothing of his past to them other than what they already knew, and even when they talked, it was nothing more than polite conversation about recent events. His silence was starting to drive her up the wall, and she was going to make him _talk_, damnit! The potion done, she handed it to Aoshi who passed the glass to Misao to drink. 

Misao's eyes fluttered shut as soon as the last drop had gone down her throat, and Aoshi held her sleeping form to him in a gentle grip. With Kaoru's permission, he took the sleeping teenager up to her room, putting her in Kaoru's futon and pulling an extra blanket over her. Smiling slightly, the lanky man kissed her forehead, then made his way back to the living room. 

The kitchen had been abandoned for the living room, and the occupants were sitting in the couches and sofas. Saitou was sitting in a one-only sofa seat, demurely sipping some tea; Sanosuke was sprawled out on one of the couches; Kenshin was in another one-only sofa seat that was opposite Saitou and was glowering at him in a rather frightening manner. Kaoru and Soujirou were left on the only remaining couch, and Aoshi took up the space next to Kaoru. The Mibu Wolf replaced his teacup on the coffee table and cleared his throat slightly. 

"You know that I am not one who beats around the bush, nor do I come around just for the sake of visiting my dear nephews and niece-" Kaoru muttered something under her breath while Soujirou grinned, and Aoshi sat as silent as a stone, "or to see how chibi-gaki's are faring in their new environment either." The scowl on Kenshin's face grew deeper. Saitou gave all of them a sardonic smile. 

"You have a mission." All the members of Black Dawn instantly became more alert (with the exception of Sanosuke who was already trying very hard to stay awake). His amber eyed gaze turned to Aoshi. "The Oniwa Banshuu may choose to join if they wish, but they had better not hinder the mission." Aoshi's brow developed a little tic. Kaoru could feel her cousin's slight annoyance, and hid a grin behind her hand; their almost-uncle was one of the only ones who could annoy Aoshi; Soujirou and Kaoru had to work extra hard if they even managed to elicit so much as a blink from him. 

"It has come to Katsura's attention that there is a young boy who is being kept by the Bakufu. The boy, of course, is less than ordinary." The sardonic grin lit his face again. "And all of you seated here should know what I mean by that." His audience volunteered no reaction and he shrugged. "The boy is an Empath (7), and he is being subjected to various forms of torture, because the Bakufu wish to use his ability for their own uses." Kaoru could feel her blood boiling, but she kept her rage underneath the surface. "You are to break into the Sylven Laborataries to retrieve the boy. There should be no problems at all, but if you encounter anyone, you know what to do. The mission will take place 2 nights from now, so you have more than enough time to find the information that you need. I'll send you the mission objectives again with more details if we can get anymore information." 

He stood up to leave. "Saitou-ojisan." He turned to look at her. "What do we do with him after we get him back? What's his name? Will he come wilingly?" 

The Wolf arched an eyebrow at her. "He will stay here." He ignored all the other questions, eliciting a glare from his niece. 

"Why?" The question came from Kenshin, who had been sitting quietly all this time. "Assassin headquarters is hardly a place for a young boy to stay in." His eyes had taken on an amber hue again, and he seemed to be radiating cold anger. 

"Katsura's orders." He shrugged his coat on and strode to the door. "0100 hours, Sylven Laborataries. Nice seeing you again." 

With that he was out the door before anyone could even ask him anything and the front door had shut behind him. 

"'Get our own information' he says." Sanosuke drawled from his spot. "Here we go again." 

Soujirou stood up from his seat and stretched slightly. "I'd better get to work then." (8) It would take quite somet time to find the information that they required without raising any alarms in the Bakufu network. He disappeared into the basement, while the others nodded absentmindedly. Aoshi left, making his way up to Kaoru's room to see if Misao had woken up or not. Then Sanosuke too, stretched lazily, yawning. 

"I'm going back to sleep before I conk out here." 

And that left Kaoru and Kenshin as the only ones in the living room. 

"So." She started. He turned violet eyes to her, smiling warily. 'Why do I somehow dread what she's going to say next?' He knew what was going to come next. 

"Start talking." 

¡¡

Dictionary 

oji-san - Uncle 

-sama - honourific that is attached to someone's name. -sama is not usually used, unless you're addressing someone really important or something, like say, the king? :p You see just *how* high Aoshi is in Misao's sight ne? 

Dare? - Who are you?

jou-chan - Sano's nickname for Kaoru. Loosely translated as 'little miss'. 

Nani - what 

Notes: 

(1) Yup, add yet another 'Shifter to the list! ^^ I suppose that it really should be no surprise since Saitou's wolfness is already so apparent in the manga/anime. heheh.. 

(2) Mind-reading unconscious people. It's a bit harder since the person isn't awake, but if they have any mental barriers, then they are indeed much weaker. Kaoru and Soujirou could easily do this if they want to anybody, but as I did say in earlier chapters, they respect people too much to invade someone else's mind. Kaoru has to go into a bit of a trance for this because she needs to be able to find the actual memory that she's looking for. While in someone's mind, she can tap into (almost) any information that she ones. There are specific memory 'orb' thingies, and all she needs to do to see a memory replay is by prodding it a bit. =) Make sense? 

(3) Here comes the HalfSoul connection again. You can read some of the emotions and sometimes, even the thoughts of the HalfSoul that you're connected to, if they are expressing them strongly enough. Kenshin is not reading Kaoru's mind here, but can somehow sense what she needs; she in turn can feel his worry for her. Both of them are not Empaths at all, but they can still read each other¡¯s emotions clearly due to their connection. It works the other way round too, and the connection will grow stronger if both of them acknowledge it. :p So you can't even lie to your HalfSoul without them not knowing about it. Good eh? 

(4) Soujirou isn't trying to say that he is Aoshi here, but something more like acknowledging that he's (Aoshi) back in the reality world, waiting for her. 

(5) Ah, a word about Sanosuke's powers. He's an untrained telekinetic, and he doesn't really use his talent much, so it's kinda rusty. This also means that he has to exert himself whenever he uses it, because it doesn't come to him that easily as, say, Kaoru's and Soujirou's telepathy is to them. Sano has only had his powers for 2 years, while the twins have had theirs for practically their whole lives, so there's a vast amount of difference there, ne? 

(6) Nah, Kenshin isn't another telekinetic. He's just using some ki manipulation. His training was probably more intense than the training that Soujirou and Kaoru had to go through, so he's just able to use his ki better. That's why he's the top assassin, see? Well, among other things as well, but that's something else to ponder on another day. 

(7) Empath. New ability no. 1 in this chapter. An empath is someone who can sense the emotions of other people around him/her, just like a telepath can read the minds of other people. However, being an empath is harder, because it is very hard to shut off the emotions of others from yours. As a result, empaths are often cold and try to seclude themselves so that they are less affected by emotions. Talk about a tough life, ne? Yahiko-chan has to deal with this. 

(8) Tadah! Yet another ability has jumped in. Apart from being a telepath, Soujirou is also a Hex. A hacker, if you want to call it that, but different in comparison to other more um¡­normal hackers, because he has to let his _mind_ do the work, instead of just his fingers. It may be faster to get information that way, but also more tiring in the long run. So there you go, another ability! 

A/N: Phew, yet another chapter. O_O 3000 words this time. _ Why am I going sooo over the word limit that I set myself? Darnit. Hmm. I didn't like this one as much as the others, but it's still hanging fine in there. XD Mwahhaha, Kaoru tries to get Kenshin to talk in the next chapter, so stick around to find out how she interrogates him! ^^ Misao will wake up soon as well, and Yahiko's going to show up soon! Thanks again to everyone who have been reading and reviewing and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 


	9. Chapter 8: Talk to Me

Disclaimer: I don't own RK or WK. Why on earth would I be writing fanfiction if it was mine? :p 

A/N: Heheh~ Oro-chan's getting tortured again, courtesy of one nutty author! XD Ah, Kaoru tries to get him to explain what the hell is going on, and of course, tries to pry into this past ^^; Oro-chan is...very...very...evasive! (Kenshin: I am not! *receives a whack to the head* Hey!) KxK fluff galore! Mwahahhaha XD Hiko and Saitou are here too! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Cute emerald – Thank you for reading it! I'm glad that you're finding it good enough to keep reading ^^ Thanks for reviewing too! 

Neko Oni – Lol, maybe so, but I think that it was the most boring one that I've written so far, if you get my drift :p Too much dialogue, but well, each to his own ne? Ah, lucky person. No school huh? *Sigh* Ah yes. *Grin* Aoshi is as usual, being Aoshi, but we all know that he lives in total self-denial. XD Maybe he'll finally get it through to his thick head if Misao tries to seduce him! ^^;;; Lol. Aoshi may be observant enough to be the head of the Oniwa Banshuu, but when it comes to feelings, he's a total flop! _ Kenshin's probably less dense than him, and that is really saying somethin! Saitou is the most sarcastic guy ever! Lol, he can even make Hiko cringe! *Cackle* Ah, Kenshin, Kenshin… XD Kaoru has her ways of getting answers out of him, and you'll find out how exactly she does it in this chapter! ^^ he can't get out of this one this time! Mwahahahah~ See you around in the next chapter ne! 

Amanda H. - ^^ Glad you're enjoying it! Megumi will show up in the next couple of chapters or so, and so will Yahiko. I know it's a little confusing to see only some of the characters first, and not the others, but I'm still building the story up, so she'll show up soon enough. Do stay around for more! ^^ Thanks for R&Ring! 

Dragona – Thanks for reading! Do stay around for the other chapters, and I'm really glad you like it! 

Kaoru - ^^ I'm glad you like my story! Yeah, RK rocks, doesn't it? I watched most of the episodes on AXN, coz they started replaying it in about March or so. It had subtitles, but even then, some of them were terribly wrong. _ Kenshin's name became Kenshee, Kaoru's name became Cori, and Yahiko's name became…Yoshi. That was how bad it was! Plus the fact that they seemed to insert all those 'I love you' sentences between Kenshin and Kaoru when they never said anything of the sort! My Japanese may not be excellent, but I usually get the general gist of what's going on, and gawwwwwd, it was just plain wrong. But subtitles are always better than dubs I think. Japanese seiyuus (voice actors) are really well-trained, and it just doesn't sound the same once you translate it to English. It loses a lot of the quality of speech, if you get whay I mean. KxK all the way! Ah… ^^ :p now all you have to do is find your Kenshin ne? XD hehen~ 

Meirou – choon! I'm glad you're enjoying it! I do try to make the characters as complex as I can, but so far I've only really been concentrating on Kenshin and Kaoru (I feel like I've been neglecting Sanosuke, because all he ever seems to do is sleep! Lol, and give bawdy comments!). I'm really glad you like it so much though! ^^ The HalfSoul concept was mucho fun to write, although some people were confused at first. I was thinking about just using the soulmate principle from the NightWorld books, but then I decided that I wanted something more original, so well, the HalfSoul concept is what came up. Yup! I definitely will continue with this story ^^ I hope to see you around in the chapters to come! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Pen D. Fox – Ooh, you like supernatural stuff too? I find it really intriguing ^^ Broken Pieces has a kinda different flavour, if you can call it that, because it's darker and more angsty. I'm flattered that you like my fic better than Linay-san's. ^^ Thank you! Yup, I'll definitely continue this fic! Do stay around for more, and thanks for reviewing! 

missaw – Lol, yessir/yesmam! 

chris – hello! Haven't seen you around for the last few chapters, ^^ good to see you back for more. Yup, Aoshi definitely has affections for Misao! If the idiot doesn't get it through his thick brain, I just _might have to change it to a MisaoxSoujirou pairing! XD Mwahahahah~ Oh, Kenshin will be Kenshin, but Kaoru will of course try to pry as much out of him as she can ^^ in the most unorthodox of ways of course! Do stick around for more! _

Baka-Ryu – Thanks so much for the encouragement! ^^ You've got really good advice! And I'll take it ^^ Thanks so much for reading! Do come back for more, ne? ^^ 

On to Chapter 8!

Chapter 8 - Talk to Me 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

Kenshin flinched inwardly. It was the dreaded word. 'Talk.' He had never been really good at talking, and from the slightly evil look on Kaoru's face, he knew that he wouldn't be able to worm his way out of this one. 

"About?" One-word answers were good. He could handle that. 

"You." Or not. 

"What about me?" She sighed. 'He's good at evading things, I'll give him that.' Kaoru could feel his nervousness. He had obviously not met anyone like her before. 'Or at least if he has, he seems to have forgotten about it.' 

"Can you just give me a straight answer for once, and stop prancing around?" Slight exasperation crept into her voice. 

"Oro? What do you mean?" Innocence didn't become Kenshin. 

She jabbed a finger into his face, and his eyes went cross-eyed at it. The electric sparks of their connection fizzed slightly at the almost contact, but she ignored it and continued scolding him. 

"That! You're doing it again!" 

"Doing what?" He knew very well what he was doing, but couldn't help himself. Not only was he skirting around the questions, but he was also having fun. 

Kaoru growled. She could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. 'He's doing this on purpose!' She smiled slightly to herself. 'Well, I'll just have to change tactics then.' 

He noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes. Not good. He didn't need to be a telepath to know that she was planning something, and he was the intended target! Kenshin gripped the armrests of the chair he was sitting in, ready to use his arms to give him leverage, and then run like hell away from her interrogations! Kaoru's eyes narrowed, anticipating his movement. He moved and she was out of her seat a flash. 

The pair fell to the ground, sofa and all falling backwards due to their momentum and there was a soft 'oof' from Kenshin as he landed none-too-gently on the thinly carpeted ground. The red head assassin looked up through his bangs to find Kaoru straddled on his stomach, and holding his arms above his head easily, grinning in a slightly manic way. 

"Now talk, or we'll stay here all day." 

He smiled in response; she was insane! Why on earth was she so insistent about talking, and why on earth was she resorting to such a...er...primitive method? 'Not that I mind.' His inner voice was having fun. The contact that her hands had with his was sending little jolts of electricity through his body, and they weren't painful at all. He felt as if there was a silver mist surrounding them, and suddenly he was in her mind again, and she was in his. 

Her shock was as natural as his; they found that they were not back in the living room, but seemed to be somewhere in the recesses of their minds, and somehow, they were both together. Kenshin looked around him; there were shimmering crystals all around, and images seemed to be running across the surface. He looked closer, and then realized that these were her memories. Enthralled he reached out towards one, and his fingers almost touched it. Then----- 

"What the hell is all the commotion about! Can't a guy get some---!" Sanosuke's voice jerked them out from the place that they had been in, and Kenshin looked up to find Kaoru's face too intimately close to his; their noses were touching, her ocean-blue eyes wide and staring into his, and he could feel her soft breath on his skin. 

"What's---oh!" Another voice broke in and both Kenshin and Kaoru looked up at the two who had been brought around by the commotion of the sofas crashing in the living room. 

"Jou-chan, I never knew that you had it in you." Sanosuke's grin bordered on the perverted as he drawled. "Kenshin, you dog, you!" 

Realizing that they were both in a rather scandalous position, Kaoru hurriedly got off Kenshin, blushing pink, while Kenshin sat up, his face matching the colour of his hair. "It's not what it looks like!--" They both sputtered at the same time, and Soujirou's eyebrows rose. 

"Oh?" Soujirou's all-too-innocent 'oh' was too innocent for Kaoru's liking. _You're a vixen, dear sister, that you are. Only 2 weeks and you're like _that _with him!_ He grinned mischievously as Kaoru sent biting remarks and curses to him through their mental link. 

Sanosuke was all too amused, fighting back the urge to laugh as he continued with his ribald humour. "If you're going to do S&M, then at least do it in your own rooms, where we can't see you, even if we can hear you!" 

"Sanosuke!" 

"Sano!" 

Both of them turned even redder if possible. 

"He is right, you know." They turned to the voice that came from the top of the stairs. Aoshi was standing there with a sleepy-eyed but awake Misao, watching the scene with barely concealed amusement. The man smiled slightly, a rare occurrence, if at all it happened. "Get a room." 

The said couple could only gape at him while the others laughed, finally unable to hold it in. Embarrassment was fast changing into anger for Kaoru, and she muttered under her breath as she grabbed Kenshin by the wrist and dragged him up the stairs after her. He could do nothing but keep up with her, releasing an embarrassed "Oro" in his wake, while laughter echoed throughout the whole house. Kaoru dragged them both into Kenshin's room and then slammed the door close with a large "BANG!" that made the whole house shudder. 

The four people still laughing exchanged looks with each other and the laughter continued.

~*~ 

Hiko Seijurou glared at the reports that had just been brought in, and the smell of cigarette smoke wafted its way to his nose. He glared at the man who was smoking the said cigarette; obliviously puffing his cigarette smoke every which way and stinking up his whole office. 

"I hope you get bronchitis." He grumbled. 

Saitou turned one amber eye on him. "Did you say something?" 

"What are you doing here, Saitou?" The man showed up at the most infuriating times, and now he was getting a migraine from reading all these stupid, nonsensical reports. 

"What indeed." The man offered no answer and continued to puff on his cigarette. 

The proverbial vein in Hiko's head was close to popping and it was all he could do not to leap over the table and Kuzuryuusen the man in front of him all the way to America. 

"I saw the chibi-gaki today." Hiko froze in the middle of reading. He hadn't seen his baka-deshi since his assassin training had finished; had it been so long already? Time seemed to pass by so fast. 11 years. 

"How is he?" His voice was flat, held no tone at all. 

"Alright. Seemed to be getting along quite well we the tanuki-musume, her twin and the tori-atama." Was the nonchalant reply. 

Hiko's eyes narrowed at him. "What's he doing in your niece's house?" 

Puff. Cigarette smoke floated and Hiko batted a hand through it. "He's joining Black Dawn for a while." 

"Whatever for?" This time both eyes turned to him, serious. 

"You should know the reason better than anybody else. Atonement (1), remember?" 

"Yes, but that still doesn't explain why he's been shifted there. What can they do for my baka-deshi that he can't do himself?" Hiko was slightly puzzled. 

"Human contact, apparently, according to Katsura himself. And apparently his HalfSoul is Kaoru." 

"What soul?" Why on earth did he get mixed up with all these people who seemed to talk in codes! 

"HalfSoul." Saitou repeated. "I'd explain it to you myself, but I can't let you _not_ have the honour of listening to Katsura's philosophical speeches can I?" He gave Hiko a feral grin. 

Hiko groaned. 'Yet another one of _those_ conversations.' He glanced at the digital clock on the table. 

'And it's not even lunchtime yet.' 

~*~ 

The moment the both of them were in Kenshin's room with the door slammed closed by Kaoru and locked with a decisive click, she let go of Kenshin's wrist and walked to the center of his room, giving him a pointed look. 

"There's no way you're getting out of this now, so you might as well talk!" 

He ran a hand through his hair, smiling wryly. 'She's the most intriguing, annoying and mind-provoking woman that I've ever met in my life. And I feel as if I can tell her anything, and she won't judge me. However…' Just because he felt that way didn't mean that he _had_ to do that. 'I need to get to know her too.' He had been so close to touching one of those memory crystal things in her mind, and he understood now that he was just as curious about her as she was about him. 'Well then. We'll have to start from the basics.' 

He sat down on his spot near the wall, giving in to her. Kaoru was more than relieved, and she too plopped down on the floor, about 2 feet away from him. 'I can't go through another episode of _that_ without locking myself into my room for a week or more!' They sat there for a few moments, and when it seemed as though both of them weren't going to say a word, questions came out at the same time. 

"What do you-" 

"How did you-?" 

They laughed at the awkwardness of the situation, and the atmosphere became more relaxed. "You first." He gestured at her. 

"Are you sure?" There were so many questions she needed answers to, and she didn't really know where to start. 'That blast just now that happened then. Don't want to scare him off before I even start.' Kaoru settled on the first thing that came to her mind. 

"How did you do that er…" She wiggled her fingers, at a loss as to how to describe what he had done. "Shattering thing? We all heard something shatter, but the only thing that did break was the jasper stone in the mortar bowl." 

Kenshin relaxed a bit. 'Thank God she didn't go straight for the jugular (2).' The answer to her question was easy for him. He scratched his head with one hand. "That was one form of a ki blast. It's probably one of the hardest ones to do because you only want to shatter one object without shattering everything else around it." Kaoru nodded to his explanation. "I'm sure you know about ken-ki, where you can use your own ki to deal attacks or use it as a defense cloak, if you are advanced enough." Ken-ki was something that only very skilled swordsmen (and swordswomen) could use. Ki (3) was something that every living thing had; the number of those who could manipulate ki, though, was small. 

"What I did just now was channel my ki directly into the jasper stone, thereby putting all my strength into it and nothing else. The stone could only take so much energy before it exploded; it would be the same principle as a person can only eat so much until they begin to feel sick." Kaoru chuckled at this; the not-so-talkative assassin did have a sense of humour after all. "Therefore, only the stone shattered, while its surroundings were not affected." Kenshin paused for effect after his short explanation, smiling slightly. "It isn't that hard to do at all." 

Kaoru's eyebrows rose. "Not hard at all? And just how long have you been doing this for?" The smile on his face was slightly sheepish as he gave her his reply. "Er…since I was 13. And I'm 26 now." 

He couldn't help but feel entranced by her carefree laugh. The way that she threw her head back enticed him, and all at once he wondered what it would be like if she was **his**. 'Oro!' Kenshin blinked, slightly shocked at where his brain was going. 'Where did that come from?' 

Kaoru tilted her head up to look at Kenshin, hugging her knees to her chest, ebony tresses spilling down her back, and rested her face on her crossed arms. "I've asked you a question, so it's your turn to ask me one." She smiled at the puzzled look on his face. "I'm making conversation with you, not interrogating you, so it has to go both ways, ne?" 

"Ok…" He racked his brains for a question. 'Not something too personal, but yet, something about her.' "What was your first impression of me?" The question seemed to leap from his lips, unbidden. Kaoru's eyes widened slightly. She had been prepared for anything, but this was something else. 

"My first impression of you?" Kenshin nodded; she smiled mischievously. 'Two can play the same game'. "Was that a) on the rooftop of the Kanrii Tower, b) when I woke up to you staring at me, or" the smile deepened into a grin. " c) when you walked in on me in the bath?" His reddening cheeks showed that she had gotten the reaction that she wanted. 'Kaoru: 1, Kenshin: 0!' 

"On the rooftop." Was the simple reply. The pounding in his heart threatened to pull itself out of his body. 'She's playing with me!' He had a grin to match hers. "Or we could always start with option c) if you like." It was funny how she brought out such a playful side of him. For as far back as he could remember, he had not been more than a very straightforward assassin who did not beat around the bush, asking very direct, and sometimes even blatant questions, but never playful. But with Kaoru, everything was different. Kenshin waited patiently for her answer. 

"Well…" She nibbled her bottom lip slightly, deep in thought. Unbeknownst to her, Kenshin's eyes flickered a hungry amber, then reverted to his normal violet. "I wasn't exactly conscious for long to get much of an idea about you then. But I thought that in terms of cloaking your ki, you far surpassed any of us. We wouldn't even have noticed you if you hadn't let us know you were there until you had a sword at our throats." Her brow furrowed slightly. "And I felt…a sense of familiarity about you… as if I should know you, but I don't." It was her turn to look sheepish. 

"You have no idea what I'm going on about, do you?" 

Kenshin shook his head no. "I do have some clue as to what you're talking about, because I felt that too." He got up from his spot and moved closer to her, circling back to finally sit down, with his back against hers. The air around them suddenly felt charged with electricity. "You can feel that too, can't you? A sort of charged atmosphere?" He felt her nod, her hair brushed softly against his. "I don't know what it is, but it only seems to happen when we make some kind of contact towards each other. And just now…I could feel your emotions; I'm no Empath, but somehow it's what it felt like; your emotions were running over." Kaoru relaxed against Kenshin, closing her eyes momentarily. 'This feels so…right…like this is where I should belong.' 

_It does, doesn't it? _She froze at his mental voice in her head. "I didn't say that out loud did I?" She turned slightly to look at Kenshin. He had turned too, frowning slightly. "You were in my head (4)." He replied. This was beyond strange for Kaoru. She hadn't been 'broadcasting' (5) at all, and he wasn't a very strong telepath; her mental barriers were in no way weak, and it would have taken him a lot more than physical contact to get into her mind, but he was somehow hearing her thoughts! Not to mention replying to them with his mental voice. 'This was what was happening in the kitchen!' She realized. Confusion that didn't belong to her lingered in her mind; she could feel his emotions and thoughts just as much as he could feel hers! A sense of wonderment seemed to enfold the pair. _This is strange…but…right… Kaoru had reverted back to telepathy; she liked the sound of Kenshin's physical voice, but she liked the sound of his mental voice better. She was surprised when he chuckled. __Do you really? We have to do this more often then. He had read her mind again! It was as if there were no barriers at all to their communication; just a pure, complete, and utter sense of being connected to each other. _

_Have you ever felt something like this before?_ Her voice was not much more than a whisper in his mind. _No. This is the first time that I've ever felt so connected to anyone before. _His answer was simple and earnest, and she _knew_ that he wasn't lying (6). It seemed as if the connection that they had allowed no barriers; just undiluted truth, emotions and thoughts. No fabricated lies or hide-and-seek. 

Kaoru pulled away from his back, and the loss of contact yearned in her soul. She turned around to face him, and he did the same. The shimmering electricity was still there between them, and she thought she was seeing things when it looked as if there was a silver cord that tied her hand to his. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. It was still there! But when she reached out to touch it, it shimmered, and her hand went through it. She frowned and tried to touch it again. The same thing happened. 

"I don't think you can touch it, but it most definitely is there." The sound of Kenshin's voice made her look up. 

"You can see it too?" He nodded in response to her question and smiled. 

"It seems that we are connected in more ways than one." The irony of the statement didn't escape her in the least. 

She was thinking again, brow furrowed, biting her lip softly. Something that seemed to have nothing to do with the silver cord was pulling him to her, like a magnet. Kenshin wanted to feel her skin, taste her lips. 'She looks like vanilla.' Amused eyes met his; she had heard his thoughts. He didn't need to pretend anymore. 

He moved closer to her, reaching to hold one of her hands in his own. Kenshin looked deep into the depths of ocean blue orbs, nose touching hers. He could smell her now; a mix of vanilla and jasmine; electricity ran through their hands. 'She probably knows what I'm going to ask her.' She stared back into his unwavering violet eyes flecked with gold. 

"Can I kiss you?" 

Dictionary 

Oro – Kenshin's own unique was of saying 'huh?' The usual way is usually 'Ara?' 

Kuzuryuusen – Literally translates as 'Nine headed Dragon Flash'. One of the techniques in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. All 9 vital points of the body are attacked in one go, and is hard, if not practically impossible to dodge any of them 

Chibi-gaki – little brat. Saitou's nickname for Kenshin 

Baka-deshi – Literally idiot disciple. Hiko's nickname for Kenshin. 

Tanuki-musume – Racoon girl. Saitou's affectionate name for Kaoru. 

Tori-atama – Chicken/Rooster head. Sanosuke's nickname 

Ki – aura 

Ken-ki – sword aura 

Notes: 

(1) Atonement. What Saitou means hear is that it is Katsura's way of giving something back to Kenshin in return for ruining his sanity after he becomes and assassin. 

(2) Kenshin thought that she'd be straightforward with him and ask him about his past, so he's more than slightly relieved here when Kaoru doesn't do that. 

(3) Ki. _ Kami-sama, here we go. One hell of an explanation coming through. Ki is a part of every living thing, but manipulating it is another thing. It takes years of meditation and training to be able to manipulate your ki and even project it or use it against someone else. If you want a way more detailed and complicated explanation about ki, don't ask me! Go to http:// aikiweb(dot)com. 

(4) He's not literally in her head here, just was able to scan her mind unintentionally. Yet another HalfSoul thing. 

(5) Broadcasting. What Kaoru means here is thinking really loudly. In this fic, it is possible to (sometimes) read the emotions and thoughts of others without even going into their mind if they are thinking really loudly, or if they feel strongly enough about something. Kaoru, being a telepath, of course wants her own privacy, so she would know if she was broadcasting her thoughts and emotions. As a telepath, she would have to build many barriers around her mind to protect herself from other mind-meddling telepaths, and so that she can shut out other voices that she doesn't want to hear. The HalfSoul connection, is once again put into effect, so her thoughts and emotions can also be felt by Kenshin. 

(6) Kaoru knows that Kenshin isn't lying, because of, once again, the HalfSoul connection. Either of them would know at once if the other was lying, because the connection is all about pure communication, and you can't really hide anything from your HalfSoul if you try XD *cackles evilly* 

A/N: XD Hah! How's that for a cliffhanger? ^^ You can tell that I'm an avid KxK fan, ne? I was going to put in some stuff about how Soujirou hacks, but I guess it'll have to wait for the next chapter, because *ugh*, this is already way too long. And yes, Kaoru does indeed have interesting methods of getting Kenshin to talk! Sano's potty mouth has kicked in again, as you see, and Aoshi is rather amused by his cousin's antics *snigger* ^^;; maybe Misao will learn something from that! Anyway, thanks to all for reviewing, and see you again in the next chapter! 

* Does anyone know where the hell this jasmine smell that Kaoru has comes from? All the KxK fics that I've read always seem to say that Kaoru smells of jasmine. I just went along with it, but I've no idea where it comes from. If anyone knows, please do tell me so I can understand why on earth she smells of jasmine and not something else! ^^ Thanks


	10. Chapter 9: Silent Plea

Disclaimer: I think I'd be happy with just an Oro-chan plushie. ^^ I'd very much like to have katanas and bugnuks too, but ;_- they don't belong to me. Of course, I could always use my dad's Chinese sword to threaten for the rights…XD don't own the soulmate principle either (L.J. Smith), or the Hex concept (Rhiannon Lassiter). 

A/N: Here's a teeny-weeny bit of Yahiko in it for everyone who's been waiting. He's waay OOC in this, because of the supernatural ability that he has. If anyone's read Yami no Matsuei, be prepared for him to act a bit like Kurosaki Hisoka. A bit more about Sou-chan in this chapter since he's been neglected coz I've been concentrating on Kenshin and Kaoru *hugs Sou* but he's got his chance to shine now! XD Thanks to everyone for the explanation on the jasmine scent thing! I get it now! ^^ :p I'll just add the vanilla bit in then! Lol. Hoo~ more WAFFYness between Ken-chan and Kaoru ^^ Slight darkishness and Sano-cursings at the end of the chapter though, so don't say I didn't warn you! Slightly shorter than the last chapter, but urgh~ couldn't right anymore at 3am in the morning, so this is what you get! Enjoy! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Inuyasha22 – XD Mwahah~ but of coursssse~ ^^ it's too much fun! 

chris – yeah, the connection is finally kicking in, but they still have 0 idea about what's going on *snicker* but it's not like it's gonna stop them from anything though, lol! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Random Reader-san – Yea, it may take some time before I get all of the primary characters in, but rest assured that they'll be there. It's just that I need to build up some elements of the story first before I start adding everyone else in. Besides, if I started off with everyone in the mix, I probably wouldn't have been able to focus on some things as much as others. I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing! 

Baka-Ryu – Yeah, MisaoxAoshi stuff is pretty good, but some of the fics where there's SouxMisao are pretty good too, but I think they made Aoshi too cruel o_O I think **Believe Your Smile** (no idea whether the title is correct or not, my memory is terrible, but I think that's it), is pretty good for a Sou-Misao fic. Thanks for the explanation! 

xabie – hey there, and thanks for reading! Nah, I'm Malaysian; hi neighbour! Lol ^^ I _swear_ the way they translated it was terrible! I remember sitting through all the episodes and grumbling to myself muttering about how this was wrong and that was right; there was only *1* episode where they got everything right, names, translations everything, other than that, everything else was *wrong*! Ooh, a Mikagami fan too? Tok/Fuu forever! XD I love that fic **The Darker Side**, but ;_; the author hasn't updated it for so long! Grah~ Thanks once again for reading and reviewing, and hope to see you around in the chapters to come! 

PEACH ^_^ - Glad you liked chapter 8! KxK WAFF will show up when it does, but since this isn't just an exclusive KxK fic, there's other parts to deal with as well, so please be patient ne? Thanks for R&Ring! 

Neko Oni - ^^ Yes indeedy. Ken-chan is running again XD but this time Kaoru catches him! Talk about embarrassment man! I find it pretty hilarious how Saitou can make everyone want to murder him because of all his sarcastic antics, lol. If I didn't know better, I'd say that he lives to irritate people :p Yeah, Aoshi melted slightly, didn't he? Hahah~ Mmm… the HalfSoul connection does have it's good points and bad points, and the mental link thingy between Kaoru and Kenshin will be pretty important in the future XD how and why is another thing! Mwahah~ Really? Lol, I looked up the uses of jasmine in magicky stuff, and get this! 'The magical properties of jasmine are: love, psychic awareness, dreams, peace and sex.' *grins maniacally* Ah, more than one use ^^;;; lol Hehe, it is quite an evil cliffhanger, is it not? XD I couldn't help myself! ^^; It's one of the great things about being a fanfic author; baiting your readers to stay on, lol! Art college? Cool? Like modern art or animation or what? I've got one friend who's going into animation, and another who's doing computer graphics. So good luck when school starts! Anyway, thanks for the detailed explanation and see ya round next time! 

kakarlena – XD Yes, I am mucho evil! Mwahahha ^^ Don't worry, you'll have fun reading the chapter ^^ 

missaw - ^^;; sorry, I wasn't sure, so I put both yessir and yesmam in ^^; Hahha! Your mum got freaked out by the title of my story? ^^;;; oops. Considering the occupations of most of the characters in the story, I thought that it'd be pretty appropriate to name it that. ^^ Yup, update update. Thanks for R&Ring! 

Dragona – Ah yes, WAFFYness rox ^^ I will! 

Rapyer2986-Malik's Mika – No problem, I'm open to suggestions or advice of all types ^^ Lol, I know, I spend a lot of time reading fics after midnight as well ^^;; And sometimes even writing fanfiction, which is why there may be errors here and there. Guilty as charged! Yea, they do seem more Schwarzy-ish, don't they? All the paranormal powers and all. Except, for the fact that they're doing a Weiss job instead of the Schwarz job. Schu rocks! ^^ He is soooo evil! I think Ran's cool too, but sometimes he's such a jerk; it's like he has a permanent stick up his ass or something! (Excuse the language :p) Ah…okays ^^ lol, history about martial arts is alright; anything is better than taking the subject itself! I'm glad you enjoyed the KxK interaction; I had to rack my brains for the later half of the chapter because they couldn't exactly jump straight into personal details so fast, ne? Lol, our dear Oro-chan ^^;; loves to run (hey, that rhymes!). Anyway, thanks so much once again for the explanations and everything, and thanks for reading and reviewing! 

CurlsofSerenity – Mm…okays. Gotcha! 

Now…on to the fic! 

Chapter 9: Silent Plea 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

Computer/Hex commands are in **bold.**

'Can anyone hear me?' A young boy with sorrowful brown eyes turned his head to the ceiling, deaf and blind to the voices and people around him who milled around his bed. There was nothing in his world but emotion; so much emotion that it was much too much. Their mouths opened and closed, but he could not hear a word that was coming out of their mouths; he had shut off his hearing senses a long time ago, to protect himself from the pain. It didn't seem to matter somehow, because that was all that he seemed to feel; pain, sorrow, hatred, loneliness. He was resigned to the miserable life that he held on the bed in the clinical laboratory. Experiment, experiment, experiment everyday. The days when he used to play in the streets seemed so far away now, like a fleeting dream, something unreal that did not exist in his current life. His eyes were open, devoid of emotion, but inside… 

His soul was being torn apart. 

'Please…someone…help me…' 

~*~ 

Soujirou was back in the basement among all the computer equipment, now that the sofa incident hoo-haa had died down. He shook his head to himself, smiling at how much more interesting the household had become after the arrival of one Himura Kenshin. The household was much livelier now, and he was happy that Kenshin seemed to be doing wonders for his sister; although she did seem to get embarrassed a lot more because he was around, she was also happier than she had ever been in ages. 

The computer screen flickered on, glowing slightly in the musky darkness of the basement. Soujirou rested his fingers lightly on the panels on either side of the keyboard that were nothing more than computer parts linked up by wires to the hard drive of one of the many computers in the room. Although the others in the house often went down to the basement to work on computer assignments or mission reports, they, like ordinary people, used the _keyboard_, and not the bare panels of computer circuits (1). Kaoru and Sanosuke were good hackers, and could work well if they were required to hack, but Soujirou's _Hex_ ability set him apart from them because he could go _directly into_ the Internet network without being detected. 

In other words, he could have been a walking, talking, human computer himself. 

The nickname for his paranormal hacking abilities had been taken from a gaijin book that Kaoru had read once about people with genes that allowed them to access all computer systems. Those people were known as Hexes, and that was what Soujirou's ability was named as, after they found out what he could do. As far as he knew, there were no others like him, and he himself had no idea why he had such an ability, but he did (and Kaoru didn't) (2). 

He could, of course, hack into a computer the normal way by using a keyboard, but it was so much faster to just enter the computer network with his consciousness, and then get out again with the information that he needed. Besides, Bakufu's security wasn't all that easy to get into, and the time limit that a normal hacker might have to break the code would probably not be enough, and the line could easily be traced back to them. 

Soujirou's eyes fluttered shut as his consciousness entered the system, and suddenly he was surrounded by repeating number patterns of 1 and 0, computer circuits and millions of kilobytes of information. Soujirou made his way smoothly through the sea of information, easily finding his way to the information that he wanted to know. 

**Search: Sylven Laboratories**

He zoomed past all the irrelevant information, hanging on to the search pattern that guided him to the 'gates' that he had to go through before he got get what he needed. The security programme went on alert at his presence. 

**?who** It demanded. 

**accepted user** It was too easy to fool the security programmes. 

**?authorization**

**authorization given **

**password **

**password given **

The resistance melted away in front of him, and Soujirou flowed through to the next security programme. It was easier to get through the system than he had thought, and within microseconds, he was through all the security procedures and in the database of the Sylven Laboratories. 

**entry granted. Database records/programmes/operating specifications at your disposal **

**Database open/records/Empath/experiments **

The information flooded back to him in a matter of seconds, and he thumbed through it easily. 

**Search complete. 1 result/Myojin Yahiko/12/Empath/found in Shinjuku, Tokyo/entered compound 2000/results of capture in database/?indepth search **

Soujirou followed the rest of the information. 

**?siblings=0/?parents=deceased/?open experiment results**

He steeled himself as he entered the flow, knowing that it would be more than horrifying. The results imprinted themselves on his memory. 

His eyes widened. 

~*~ 

_Yes._

Her voice echoed in his mind as he touched his lips to hers, revelling in her response as his lips meld themselves with hers in a sweet dance of passion. He was unprepared for the clarity of longing in her eyes as they kissed; their eyes were wide open. Kaoru's hand slipped from Kenshin's and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her; his arms in turn enveloped her slight waist as electric sparks jumped between them, the silver cord shortened, but grew thicker than before. 

Kaoru's fingers tangled within Kenshin's hair, marvelling in the softness of his crimson locks, and her eyes locked with his even as the world melted around them into the silver mist again, and they were back in the recesses of their minds. Here he looked ethereal, red locks loose, wide eyes a mix of swirling amethyst and gold; a mixture of both a child and an angel to her eyes. She felt the comfort of his arms, an encompassing warmth that she hadn't known she had been searching for and acceptance in his eyes. Colours flashed around them as they clung to each other like lifelines, afraid that if they let go, then they would be lost forever. It didn't matter they were no longer in the world of reality; here they were safe in each other's arms, and that was all that they needed. They pulled away from the kiss, coming up for breath at the same time, faces flushed pink from the heat and the lack of oxygen (3). Even then, they kept their eyes locked together in a spellbinding gaze, arms still locked around each other. Kaoru rested against his chest as he pulled her closer, and Kenshin rested his chin lightly atop her hair. Emotions swirled around him; contentment, happiness, comfort; emotions that he had forgotten so very long ago. He couldn't tell whether these emotions were hers or his own, but everything fit together like a well-fixed puzzle. Everything felt so _right_. As if they belonged together. 

_Wow._ Her voice tickled his mind and he smiled. She snuggled deeper against him and he hugged her tighter in his embrace. Kenshin could feel her happiness. _Now _that_ is what I call a kiss!_ His chest rumbled as he chuckled at her innocence. 'So sweet, so innocent…so very much mine.' The edges of her happiness tinged slightly with the pink of embarrassment as she heard his thoughts. _Mou! Don't make all the decisions by yourself!_ One hand left her waist to tilt her chin up, and he stared down into shining blue eyes. 

_And what do you suggest?_ He teased her. Her eyes darted away from his and she muttered a very fast thought that he could barely catch. _Hmm?_ He prodded her. Her eyes met his, before her lids lowered slightly. _If you're going to stake a claim on me, then I'm going to stake a claim on you!_ She ducked her head again, unsure of what his answer would be. She could barely understand how she had changed from a hardened assassin in one second to some kind of high school girl in another. Kaoru had never felt so much…affection for any guy before, but Kenshin was a totally different matter. It was as if she was melting, the way fire burns a candle to soft wax. The moment he cupped her face in his hands, she realized that she needn't have worried, because he apparently felt the same way as her; she could see his emotions reflected in his eyes. His edges of his lips curled up into a tiny smile. 

_That's absolutely fine by me._

He bent down to capture her lips in another kiss, shivering slightly at the look in his eyes. Kenshin's eyes were half-lidded as their lips played, and he slowly, slowly shut his eyes as she did the same. No words were required between them; emotions shimmered all around, and they revelled in each other. The kiss was cut abrupt as Soujirou's voice entered their minds. 

_Everyone down to the basement now, please._

Kenshin raised his head from Kaoru's, and they were back in his room again. He would have been annoyed at Kaoru's twin, had it not been the fact that his mental voice carried a sense of urgency and barely concealed anger that was threatening to boil over. He wondered what could have made him so mad. He looked down as Kaoru disentangled herself from him; he nodded, understanding what she wanted; there would be time enough for this later, but right now they needed to go and see what was happening. 

~*~ 

In a few minutes, all of the members of Black Dawn, including Aoshi and Misao were down in the basement. They looked expectantly at Soujirou, who had pulled out of the computer system; he had saved the information to his eidetic memory (4) and then returned to his physical body, converting the information into a readable form that didn't involve numbers and circuits onto the computer so that everyone else could read it. What he had found had shocked him to know end, and he was more than outraged to find that such experiments of inhuman nature were being conducted on a 12-year-old. By the pale look of his face and the fake smile that was now plastered on, everyone could tell that the situation was more serious than it looked, and Soujirou had indeed found something utterly and totally horrifying. 

Kaoru was the first to break the uneasy silence. "What did you find, Sou-chan?" 

He gestured to the screen wordlessly, and she took a step closer to look at it. Her face twisted into a mask of anger when she scanned the first few paragraphs and she stepped back muttering angrily. Through their HalfSoul connection, Kenshin could feel that her emotions had changed suddenly from peaceful to murderous rage, and he was more than wary of the information that Soujirou had found. He himself took a step forward to read the information; in seconds his eyes were turning a deadly shade of amber that reflected that of murder, and his ki could barely be restrained. 

The experiments that had been conducted on the young Empath had been explicit enough. The 12-year-old had been subject to electrocution, burn torture, whipping and had been injected with more than several drugs. A photograph that accompanied the report had shown a young boy bedridden in a hospital bed, blank eyes open as if he was dead, with IV drips and machines of all sorts that were wired up to him. The boy had suffered not only physical abuse, but definitely emotional and mental abuse as well. There was no question as to the boy's mental state; he would be lucky if he hadn't become brain-dead after all those brutal experiments had been done to him; death would probably have been far more preferable in comparison to the living hell that he was in. 

Aoshi was the next to look at the information, and rage flared on his face for a moment before his icy cold mask slipped back into place. "The Oniwa Banshuu will take this mission." He replied. When Misao moved forward to have a look, she stopped when he gave her the glance that told her in a dead-straight manner that she would be better off if she didn't look. She nodded back; it must have been really bad if he agreed to bring the Oniwa Banshuu into the mix with just a look at the computer. 

Sanosuke was more vocal in his thoughts when he had read the report. "The fucking bastards! Who the fuck do they think they are to do this to a small boy?! I have every mind to kill all the assholes who would dare do this to a 12-year-old, mission or no!" 

The computer beeped, and Soujirou clicked on the new e-mail that had just arrived. He read it out to the other occupants of the room. 

"It's some extra details on our mission. In addition to retrieving the boy, we have been given orders to kill on sight if we see any other people there, be they scientists or guards. The boy is to take up residence with us, as said earlier, for an indefinable amount of time. Old methods are to be used." A bitter-sweet smile lit his face. "We also have orders to blow the place up when we're done." 

Everyone nodded grimly at the sound of this; for once, they would only be too happy to comply. 

Dictionary 

Bakufu – yakuza group/rivals to the Ishinshishi/responsible for all the evil thingies that are going on in Japan 

Ki – aura 

Oniwa Banshuu - The spy organization that Aoshi and Misao are in. 

Notes: 

(1) Well. Where ordinary people like us use the keyboard to do our hacking (I don't know anything about hacking, so don't lock me up!), Soujirou can easily jump into the network system just by inserting his consciousness there. He is a _Hex_, and therefore is able to do this, while normal people can't er…sic their mind into a computer, see? Well, not unless you wanted to spoil the computer, but that's something else altogether. 

(2) You would think that since Kaoru and Soujirou are twins that they would share the same gifts right? They both have the gift of telepathy, but only Sou has abilities as a _Hex_. *Shrug* It just happens that one of the genes in Sou got slightly mutated, and the genes in Kaoru stayed normal, so that's why he's got it and she doesn't. End of story. 

(3) They are still in the recesses of their mind hear, not back to the world of reality yet. 

(4) Eidetic memory. Think photographic memory. Only well, computer information goes in. Most people who have _Hex_ abilities have eidetic memories; Sou is no exception ^^  
  


A/N: Ta-dun dun dun~ so ya see? Yahiko will be showing up pretty soon. I know the end of this chapter is probably way darker than the others have been, but don't worry, it won't be totally dark for the rest of the fic; there'll be some light-hearted bits in off course. I hope KxK fans enjoyed the WAFFYness that was in there ^^ it was fun writing it. Well, see ya'll in the next chapter ne? 

*Suggestion – for those who enjoy science fiction, I'd recommend you to read the **Hex** trilogy by _Rhiannon Lassiter_, which is where I got the Hex concept from. It's really good stuff! 


	11. Chapter 10: Heart to Heart

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine other than this story, capish? 

A/N: Welcome back! ^^ Heart-to-heart conversations as the title of this chapter describes; you'll find out more about Kaoru's/Soujirou's/Aoshi's past. Soujirou gets to talking with Kenshin and action galore while they train against each other! And someone in the household knows something about the HalfSoul connection that Kenshin and Kaoru have! 

*Reminder to readers new to the story. 

Please please please PLEASE read the AUTHOR'S NOTES!!! _ I'm starting to get irritated by the way people keep asking 'Where's this person? Why isn't he/she there?' DARNIT, if you read the author's notes then you wouldn't be asking this question! It's all right there, ok? Yahiko is showing up next chapter, and Megumi will be along soon, so please stop pestering me! THANK YOU! /end rant 

Reviewers' Space! 

Nicky – Thank you! Yes, I thought about it for a week or more before finally deciding to put the thing on paper. I usually sketch out a rough idea for each chapter before writing it down. Yeah, sux to be Yahiko in this timeline, huh? Don't worry, they'll get him out of it soon enough. Yup, KxK all the way! Everyone's making preparations for the mission to come; which is what this chapter's about. Next chapter will be the retrieval mission itself. Thanks for R&Ring, and stay tuned for more! 

Cute Emerald – Yup, Sou's a Hex. Sou's HalfSoul? Well, in the first place, they are pretty rare (I think I'm starting to sound like a curator or something), so it's kinda pure luck that Kenshin and Kaoru even ended up together. I have absolutely no idea who Sou will end up with, if he does end up with anyone; everyone's already paired off -_-; unless I do something like a Sou-Misao-Aoshi triangle or introduce an OC. Megumi will be along soon enough. Yahiko will be right as rain soon enough. 

Chibi-chan – Thanks; I'm happy that you think so. Lol, dealing with the cast of Rurouni Kenshin is hard enough; ^^;; dealing with Weiss as well would be a nightmare (can you imagine how they'd all try to kill each other? Now that would be a scene to remember.)! Ah…opponents eh? Most of them are pretty normal humans, but well, a few of the more special ones will crop up I guess. Sorry if the HalfSoul concept is indeed tough to grasp o_O I myself am not sure of the full capabilities of their connection ^^;;; Thanks for R&Ring and I hope to see you 'round in future chapters! 

Haruko – Thanks for reading! Yup, Yahiko will definitely be a lot happier where he'll be soon, and he'll (hopefully) be able to be a normal boy soon enough. Do stay around for more! 

the squirrel! – I'm glad you like it! ^^ Thanks so much for the compliment, and I'll do my best to keep up my standards! 

Baka-Ryu - ^^ Yesh, WAFFYness galore. Thanks again for the advice! See you around in the next chapter! 

Dragona – *raises eyebrows* the others do kind of know already, considering the way that they tease the pair. Although it's not really blatantly obvious, they already know that there's something going on between the two. As to when their relationship becomes cemented, well… that's gonna take quite a while. 

Rapyer2986-Malik's Mika – *waves Kenshin flag around* ^^ Hahha, he finally got her in his [literal] arms ^^;; Ran is just plain obsessed with Aya I tell you! Lol, what would you want with Microsoft anyway? It's just kinda boring, no offense meant. If I were a Hex, I'd probably go pry into my friends' computers or just drift around on the net. Yup, Yahiko-chan is the test subject. Well, the poor boy probably won't be up to call Kaoru any names considering the condition that he's in right now, but oh, we will! Hmm…not really sure about the team thing yet, but Black Dawn on their own are definitely a team unit. The Oniwa Banshuu ie. Aoshi and Misao join in if they wish to, or if they've been given orders to do so. ^^ Thanks for reading and see you again in the next chapter! 

Randomanimefanatic – She'll be around soon. 

Dragowolf – Glad you're happy! Yeah, Aoshi won't melt all that soon _ it'll take longer than that for him to melt *sigh* Thanks for R&Ring! I'll update as soon as I can! 

On to the fic! 

Chapter 10: Heart-to-heart 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Misao woke up to the sunlight glaring her in the face, and she buried herself under the covers, mumbling to herself. She suddenly realized that she wasn't home in her own room in the Kyoto Oniwa Banshuu headquarters and leapt out of a futon that was not hers. As she looked around the foreign room, she remembered where she was and relaxed slightly. One look at the other futon that had been folded up neatly told her that Kaoru was already up (1). She looked at the clock. 12am. Why hadn't anyone woken her up? 

Closing the door to Kaoru's room softly behind her, she found the corridor was silent. The door across the corridor was closed, but Misao had no doubt that Aoshi was already up and doing something. She made her way down the stairs, following the sounds of the television. As she rounded the corner, Kaoru turned from the screen and smiled at her. 

"Ohayo." 

Misao returned the greeting with a sunny smile of her own. "Ohayo gozaimasu!" 

"Onaka ga suita no?" Kaoru's question was answered by the soft rumbling of Misao's stomach, and the latter reddened slightly. 

"Hai." 

The two women made their way into the kitchen and Kaoru grabbed a bowl, and then ladled some miso soup out of a pot that was still on the stove. She set the bowl of soup in front of Misao with a bowl of rice and some pickles, and Misao muttered a hurried "Itadakimasu!" before digging in ravenously. 

Kaoru watched on as the hyperactive girl ate. All the men had left the house early, including Sanosuke. She had found three notes in total: one from Aoshi, one from Sanosuke, and one from Soujirou and Kenshin. The okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu had taken it upon himself to check out the parameters and location of the lab, and told her to look after Misao to make sure that she didn't follow him when she found out. Sanosuke's messy scrawl said that he had gone off to meet a friend, who also happened to be an explosives expert in Shinjuku, saying that he'd be back before dinner. Her twin and Kenshin said that they would also be back for dinner, and they had gone to one of the Ishinshishi's selected dojos to train together. 

Kaoru sighed inwardly. 'Men. Always gallivanting off somewhere and leaving the women to stay at home.' She didn't really mind staying at home all that much because she really wanted to talk to Misao and ask her what she thought about Aoshi. The glimmer in her eye spoke of mischief, but the girl who sat across from her was too busy indulging her appetite to notice. 

Misao finished her late brunch with a smack of her lips and put the chopsticks atop the now empty bowl of rice. "Did you make this, Kamiya-san? This is the best miso soup that I've ever tasted!" 

Kaoru smiled wryly. "No. Kenshin did. The boys are scared that I'll burn down the kitchen if I try to cook because I can even burn water. And call me Kaoru. Kamiya-san makes me feel too old. We haven't had the time to talk since everything started." She reached her hand across the table to the budding ninja. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name yesterday." 

The genki girl took the proffered hand, shaking it vigorously. 

"Makimachi Misao desu! You can call me Misao." 

Kaoru smiled. She liked the girl already, and anyone who could get Aoshi that worried was a good thing. Grabbing Misao's bowls and chopsticks, she moved to the sink to wash them, still making conversation as she worked. "Aoshi's gone off to have a look at the lab and to relay some information to the Kyoto Oniwa Banshuu, but he'll be back soon, so you don't need to worry." She tilted her head slightly to face the girl. "And he gave me strict orders not to let you follow him." Misao sighed and made a face, but complied. 

"So how long have you been with the Oniwa Banshuu?" Kaoru knew a bit about the spy organization that Aoshi was the head of, but he had never mentioned any names of any sort, let alone the name Makimachi Misao, and it was sufficient to say that she was more than curious as to why Aoshi would come straight to the Black Dawn headquarters for help when in fact he could have gone off to the Tokyo Oniwa Banshuu. It seemed that this girl was really that important for him to actually come knocking at their front down totally _exhausted_ (and Aoshi never got exhausted, or if he did he never showed it) after having flown for hours upon end in hawk shape while carrying a girl who had been in cat shape. Some of the emotions that she had felt while she had been reading Aoshi's mind also hinted at more than just a platonic relationship, and she, Kamiya Kaoru was going to find out! 

"My family have been part of the Oniwa Banshuu since it started way back in the 15th Century before the battle in Sekigahara. If I'm not wrong, we were there even before the Sanada Jyuuyuushi (2) were formed." Kaoru let out a low whistle. "My parents were also part of the Oniwa Banshuu before they died in one of the missions, and the Kyoto Oniwa Banshuu and the old okashira as well as Aoshi-sama raised me." 

"Ah." Kaoru's simple reply belied the thoughts that were going on in her mind. 'You certainly are sly dear cousin. Practically raising the girl and you never even told us! What a relative.' She wiped the bowls down, then returned to the table at which Misao sat. 

Misao was totally unprepared for Kaoru's next question. 

"Are you in love with my cousin?" 

The colour in her face suddenly resided in her cheeks and she sputtered, flapping her arms about while trying to explain herself. "I-that is- he- I-" Kaoru smiled. 'Bingo!' 

She beamed at the girl, trying to get her to calm down. "Don't worry, I won't tell him. That ice block needs someone to melt him anyway." Misao calmed down enough to stop sputtering, but the red colour still remained in her face. Her eyes met Misao's. "I can tell you that he'll come around, although it might take quite a bit of prodding." Kaoru wasn't too surprised to see her eyes widen, and her mouth opened into a perfect little 'o'. "Me and Sou-chan grew up with him, so we kinda know what to expect." Her eyes took on a lighter blue hue in reminiscence. 

"Even when Sou-chan and I were kids, Aoshi never really displayed much emotion. He hid everything under that icy mask of his. He came to live with us when he was 6; my father told me this, Sou-chan and I were only 12 months old at that time, so of course we didn't remember. He was like the older brother that we never had, always the worrywart-" Kaoru chuckled slightly. "Even though he didn't seem to show it. But we knew he cared. I remember losing my favourite hair ribbon when I was 5, and I cried the whole day when I found out that it was gone. Aoshi would never admit to this, but he bought another one for me the next day, with the same sakura petals on it and the same shade of blue, and I found it in my room when I got home from school." She looked at Misao seriously. 

"Just because he doesn't say anything doesn't mean that he doesn't care." Misao nodded silently. "He might take a long time to express himself, but all I can ask for you is that you be patient. He definitely cares a lot more for you than he lets on; it was obvious the way that he exhausted himself when you were poisoned. I've never seen him do something like that for someone." Kaoru smiled at Misao encouragingly. 

"Dakara, ganbatte ne!" 

Jade eyes met sapphire as she nodded. "Hai!" 

~*~ 

The resounding echoes of hardwood against hardwood echoed throughout the dojo as Kenshin and Soujirou smashed their bokkens (3) together, muscles straining, neither willing to yield. They leapt apart, only to disappear into individual blurs of blue and black as they sparred against each other. The men were matched in strength, but in terms of speed, Soujirou could easily top Kenshin. His Shukuchi had left gaping holes in the dojo's floorboards, but the overseers of the dojo were more than used to such occurrences; Katsura provided the money for the repairs. 

Kenshin swerved around to block a blow to his neck with his own bokken, arm jarring slightly from the rough impact. He leapt back, then lunged forward to jab at Soujirou, who twisted his body slightly to avoid the blow. The younger man swung his bokken in a downward arc towards Kenshin's head, who parried the attack quickly, a loud 'thwack' sounding as Soujirou's bokken connected with his. They leapt apart again, standing aways from each other, sweat running down their faces, chests heaving slightly with heavy breathing; Kenshin was the first to sink down into a battoujutsu stance, 'sheathing' his bokken, and Soujirou soon followed. Silence reigned as the men kept their positions, neither willing to make the first move. 

The bokkens cracked hard against each other as they 'unsheathed' their wooden swords, leaping across the short distance easily to intercept each other. Kenshin and Soujirou stood there unmoving, their bokkens still crossed, a hairsbreadth away from each other's ears. 

A hairline crack developed along the bokken that Kenshin was holding, and seemed to widen all over the sword; the bokken shattered into tiny wooden splinters a few moments later. Kenshin stepped back from the mess, Soujirou's bokken still a hairsbreadth away from his ear. A good-natured smile touched his face as he proclaimed. 

"You have won this match." 

Soujirou withdrew his bokken and returned his smile. "Iie." Was his pleasant reply. Kenshin looked up at him, more than slightly confused; Soujirou held out the bokken to him, and he took a closer look; he had worn away a good part of the bokken, cutting deeply into the wood and leaving a sizable dent in it; there were other similar marks on the rest of the bokken. 

"It's a draw." 

The men bowed to each other, signifying the end of the match, and stepped away from the mess they had created. Kenshin rubbed his head in embarrassment; there was no doubt that the overseers of this dojo would have a cow when they saw the mess that both he and Soujirou had created. "Eeto…" He looked up as he heard footsteps towards the hall, and found one of the overseers there. "Ano…" He started. The overseer cut him short with a wave of his hand. 

"Don't worry about this. Katsura-san told us in advance, and has already given us the money for the repairs." He paused momentarily. "I've never seen such an amazing match before. You are welcome to use this dojo for practice at any time." He bowed to the pair before disappearing again. 

Soujirou picked up the sports bag he had brought along and fished his watch out of it. 4pm it read. They had left the house at around ten o' clock in the morning, and it had taken about a 2 hours ride even on the bullet train (4) to a very secluded dojo on the outskirts of Okinawa. They had had to walk to the dojo after that, and that had taken a good 20 minutes. By the time they had gotten ready, it was already half past noon, and they had sparred for a good two hours before breaking for a late lunch and then continuing again. If they took the next train back now, they could make it back to Tokyo at about 6pm, and then make a short trip to the Aburaya (5) bath house and still be back in time for dinner. 

Kenshin grabbed his bag as well, and followed as Soujirou as he walked out of the dojo. 

~*~ 

"From the information that we gathered from our last mission, we can safely conclude that there will indeed be a slave auction next week (6) in a disco behind the Ikedaya Teahouse, called Carousel." Aoshi sat cross-legged atop the tatami mat in front of Okina, the former Okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu. He had returned to Kyoto to tell Okina about the information that Misao had eavesdropped on during their mission earlier in the week. Plans of the facility and the location had already been taken, and so this was his last stop before he returned to the Black Dawn headquarters. "I think we should go along with the plan. We should put one of our contacts there to spy for us, and then we'll use the effects of a blackout to take out our targets." 

Okina nodded silently, stroking his goatee while deep in thought. "It would however, give us an inside look at the place if we could put one of our spies in as a 'slave' and then attack from both within and externally." He looked up at Aoshi seriously. "It may be more dangerous, but we would have a better chance of taking all these potential 'clients' down at once." Aoshi was trying his best not to let anger take over his judgement; he couldn't help but feel like snapping at the old man; their youngest member was of course Misao, and he would die before he allowed her to go on such a dangerous mission. 

His voice was stiff. "We should inform the head of the Ishinshishi first before deciding on the course of action that we will take; he may 'see' another solution for us." He got up from the tatami mat, brushing invisible lint off his black pants. "For now I will return to the Black Dawn headquarters and prepare for the mission that we will be taking tomorrow night with the team." He bowed to Okina, and promptly left. 

The old man heaved a sigh as soon as the lanky man was out of hearing. "We carry a heavy burden, and it will not get any lighter as we work. I hope you understand that one day, Aoshi." 

The only response was the sound of the wind chimes ringing in the wind. 

~*~ 

"Kenshin." Soujirou's quiet voice broke Kenshin out of his sleepy thoughts as he basked in the heat of the furo. 

"Hai?" 

"I'd like to ask you a question." 

"Aa." Drowsy purple eyes closed again in consent. 

"What exactly do you want with my sister?" Soujirou went straight for the jugular. 

Kenshin's eyes popped open with the unexpected question. "Oro?" Was the confused reply. 

Piercing dark blue eyes regarded him as he repeated the question. "What do you want with my sister?" 

"I don't quite understand your question." Kenshin was clueless. 

"Let me put it this way. Are you in a relationship with her? Or are you just fooling around with her?" There. There was no way he would be able to get around _that_. 

"Ah." He turned in his seat to face Soujirou. "I have to say that, no, we are not exactly in a relationship; we are slightly more than friends if you want to be explicit, but are still trying to figure things out." He shook his head seriously. "I respect your sister too much to fool around with her, and our connection is far deeper than that. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, and I hope you can take my word for that." 

Soujirou broke into a grin. "You don't have to get all serious on me, Kenshin. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't just treating her as some kind of one-night-stand or something like that." He took on a serious tone. "I will, however, hurt you if you ever hurt her. She has gone through too much, and I do not wish to see her go through all that pain again." The smile returned again. "Just so you know." 

Kenshin returned the smile. "You are a good brother to her." He wasn't prepared for the soft response. 

A pained smile graced the younger man's face. "She is all that I have left. I will not make her decisions for her, but I also will not hesitate to hurt anyone who has or will hurt her in anyway." 

Silence reigned in the furo after that, both men lost in their own thoughts. 

~*~ 

Kaoru and Misao were preparing dinner in the kitchen; it was easy-to-cook Japanese curry, and thankfully, it was one of the things that Kaoru couldn't burn. After the heart-to-heart that she had had with Misao, the two women had trained in the backyard in a flurry of punches and kicks, taking a relaxing shower after that, and were presently preparing dinner for six people; the four men and themselves. Kaoru sucked on the thumb that had accidentally dipped itself into one of the bowls of curry. 

"Ne, Kaoru-san?" Misao's lilting voice made her look up. 

"Nani, Misao-chan?" 

"Ano…" the younger girl blushed quickly before rushing on with her question. "WhatisyourrelationshipwithHimura?" 

Kaoru blinked. "Can you say that again?" 

Misao coughed slightly. "What is your relationship with Himura?" 

It was Kaoru's turn to blush. "Relationship? What do you mean?" The bowl of curry on the table was looking very interesting. 

"I mean…" She hesitated for a while before going on. "The living room…" 

Kaoru turned as red as a tomato. "That was just an accident! We weren't doing anything at all! All I was trying to do was to get information out of him! I swear we weren't doing anything!" She realized she was babbling, and Misao was trying hard not to laugh at the expression on her face. 

"Mou!" The embarrassed girl exclaimed. 

"Ah, gomen gomen, Kaoru-san." She looked at Kaoru's red face and said seriously. "Demo ne, what _is_ your relationship with Himura anyway?" 

Kaoru had calmed down slightly, the reddening in her cheeks fading slightly into a crimson blush. She twirled a finger in one of the strands of her ponytail. 

"Well, we are friends." Memories of the kisses came back to her. "Slightly more than friends." She amended. "And this might sound strange, but…somehow I feel connected to him. Whenever he's around, I get this tingly feeling, and every time we make contact, it's like--" Her fingers waggled around as she tried to explain her connection with Kenshin. "There's some electric current or something. And a silver cord." 

Misao's eyes widened slightly at the mention of a silver cord. 

"A silver cord, you said?" Kaoru nodded. 

"I don't know whether this is true or not, but I remember hearing a legend about the soulmate principle before, which involves a silver cord." Kaoru gestured for her to continue. "It is said that there is supposedly, one person for everyone; a soulmate for each person. The thing that binds these two people together is a silver cord." 

Kaoru was shocked to the bone. 'Could it be that Kenshin and I are…soulmates?' 

Her thoughts were interrupted as the front door flew open. 

"Tadaima!" It was none other than Sanosuke himself. 

"Okaeri." The women replied, as he dumped the two huge plastic bags that he had brought home on the floor and proceeded towards the kitchen. He eyed the bowls suspiciously. "Oi, jou-chan, did you cook this?" 

Kaoru turned a glare on him. "It is edible, and if you don't want to eat it, then make something for yourself!" She humphed and turned away from him. 

Misao smirked. "Don't insult the cooks if you want to get food, tori-atama." 

"Nani! Look who's talking, you itachi-musume!" Sanosuke was outraged; no one called him tori-atama and got away with it! 

"Tadaima." Chorused two voices from the gaping front door that Sanosuke had left open. They turned to see Kenshin and Soujirou enter. Aoshi was behind them, as he too uttered a quiet "Tadaima." before shutting the door behind him. 

"Okaeri, everyone." Kaoru stepped out of the kitchen beaming now that the person of her affections was home. "Did you all have a good day?" 

A muttered chorus of 'hai's answered her question. 

"Kenshin and I had a great workout at the dojo today," Soujirou was the first to recount his day. "But we made a mess of the dojo." 

One of Kaoru's eyebrows rose. "'We?'" 

Kenshin nodded sheepishly. "There were holes in the ground, plus two totally unusable bokkens when we left." 

Kaoru turned an accusing glare at her brother. "Sou-chan!" 

He raised his hands to defend himself. "Ehe. It was one of the best matches that I'd ever had in my life!" He sweatdropped at the vein that was threatening to pop in Kaoru's forehead. "Even the overseers thought so!" 

His twin sighed in defeat, then turned back to the kitchen, and muttered something under her breath which sounded like "Men!" to Kenshin's ears. "Whatever the case, dinner's ready, so come eat." 

Aoshi paled slightly at the announcement, and Soujirou's smile wavered slightly. Kenshin, being Kenshin just shrugged and dumped his bag on the floor, moving forward to the delicious smell in the kitchen. Misao and Kaoru glared at the other three men who refused to move from their spots near the front door. 

"Come. Eat. NOW!" Her intimidating growl was enough to get the still standing men to the table. 

Dictionary 

Oniwa Banshuu - The spy organization that Aoshi and Misao are in. 

Ohayo gozaimasu – Good morning 

Onaka ga suita no? – Are you hungry? 

Hai – yes 

Ishinshishi – group that Kenshin and co work for. 

Itadakimasu! – Bon appetit (said before meals) 

Sekigahara – a famous battle site in Japan. One of the major battles took place there er…a long long time ago, even before the Bakumatsu. Whatever. 

Sanada Jyuuyuushi – Sanada Ten Braves. Something akin to bodyguards of the Sanada clan. 

Okashira – Chief/Head [of an organization/group] 

Dakara, ganbatte ne! – So, keep it up! 

Bokken – wooden sword 

Shukuchi – 'Reduced Earth'. A technique that only Sou-chan uses. The swordsman uses powerful legwork to 'reduce' the distance between himself and his target. This move surpasses the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu's godspeed. (definition found at Psychotic RK) 

Battoujutsu – Literally means 'art of drawing a sword' (according to the translator that I have, anyway). When a swordsman draws his sword from it's sheathe at a very high speed. 

Iie – No 

Eeto/Ano… – Um… 

Tatami mat – Japanese straw floor coverings 

Aa – Yes (mens' informal way of speech) 

Oro? – Kenshin's cute way of saying 'Huh?' 

Mou! – Kaoru's little exclamation that she usually uses when she's exasperated. 

Gomen – sorry 

Demo ne – but 

Tadaima – I'm home 

Okaeri – Welcome back 

Jou-chan – Sano's nickname for Kaoru. Means 'little miss' 

Tori-atama – Rooster head. Sano's nickname as coined by Saitou, and now Misao. 

Itachi-musume – Weasel girl. Misao's nickname as coined by Sano. 

Nani? – what? 

Notes: 

(1) Kaoru let Misao stay in her room, while Soujirou and Aoshi shared Sou's room. Returning to Kyoto and then coming back again for a mission is a bit too much hassle, so they've stayed on at least until the mission is over before returning to Kyoto. 

(2) Sanada Jyuuyuushi – Legend had it that there the Sanada clan had the Ten Braves, who were skilled as both ninjas and fighters, and it was said that the strength of one of them rivalled the strength of a 1000 men. Best ninjas ever or something like that. At least that's what I got from Samurai Deeper KYO. If anyone knows the true history about them, then please do enlighten me. 

(3) The boys are using bokkens because there'd probably be lots of questions asked if they carried katanas around in broad daylight. They do have licences for their swords, but well, it's easier and there are no questions asked if they travel this way. 

(4) I'm just making this up, ne? But rides on bullet trains are usually pretty fast; one hour tops, so the 2 hours thing is just emphasizing how far they are from Tokyo, somewhere in the cahoots of Japan or something. God knows. 

(5) Haha! Anyone watched Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away)? I stole the name from there. 

(6) Refer to the mission that Aoshi and Misao were on back on Chapter 6 if you don't remember. Aoshi's just relaying the information in person because you never know whether the phone lines are tapped or not. 

A/N: O_O Yow. Long chapter. 3500+ words… I think it's the longest one so far _ Yesh, heart-to-heart talks about Kenshin, Kaoru and Aoshi ^^ Aren't you happy? As you can see, Kaoru's cooking ain't that great, in comparison to Kenshin's. ^^; The boys (even Aoshi!) are terrified of Kaoru's cooking, but Kenshin obviously ain't (smart guy!)! Now Kaoru has a small little inkling as to what the connection she has with Kenshin is, so she ain't that clueless anymore ^^ Of course, Misao isn't entirely accurate, so Katsura will have to tell them sometime. Next chapter is the retrieval mission! Here comes Yahiko~! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you guys around next time! 


	12. Chapter 11: Black Dawn

Disclaimer: Gee… Rurouni Kenshin to Weiss Kreuz wa atashi no mono de wa nai. Sore dake. 

A/N: Welcome back people! Here's the mission, and here they finally meet (well retrieve anyway) Yahiko! Warning: this chapter contains some violence and dark/angsty undertones. You have been warned! Thanks to all my reviewers for reading, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Neko Oni - ^^;; yes, Kenshin is smart indeed ^^ but then of course, he is also Kaoru's HalfSoul, so he is wise enough to know that if he complained about her cooking, she would wreck havoc on him later! Lol. Yeah, everyone just wants the deal about Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship ^^ and of course Kaoru wants the digs on the relationship between Aoshi and Misao. Mwahah XD yesh, you'll just have to wait to find out how important their link is ^^ Ooh, graphic design? Kewl. ^^ I'm sure you'll do fine! See you around for the next chapter! 

Wenqi-chan – scary? In what way? Yup, I'll definitely continue it! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Missaw – nah, it's just that I've got time to write, that's all. But school starts next week, so the updates will be a LOT slower, sorry to say. Glad you liked the last chapter, and hope that you enjoy this one too! 

Rekka's Angel – Wow, all 10 chapters in one go? ^^ I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Chris – lol, yes ^^; I can just imagine Kaoru yelling at all of them; and the three men standing there rooted to the spot, pale and white ^^;;; Do stay around for more! 

Baka-Ryu – Yup, thanks for reading! Here comes Yahiko! 

Aislinn – I refuse to answer this question that has been asked over a million times already. Please read the Author's Note in the last chapter. 

missaw – no prob! Gotcha! 

Meirou – Yeah, ff.net's been acting up lately. ^^ Considering that I've only got a couple of days left until my holidays end, I'm trying to do as much as I can. Glad that you enjoyed the little interlude between Kaoru and Kenshin; just hope that it's not too mushy, but at the same time not too serious either. Thanks for R&Ring! 

TaioraCrazedGirl – I'm glad you're enjoying it! Do stay around for more chapters to come! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Kaoru – Yeah, Japanese seiyuu have a heck-load more training than English VAs do. Nothing compares to the original. All the anime that I've got is subbed, except for the 3rd OVA of Fushigi Yuugi, which is in English (eeeeew, it sounds absolutely terrible). To answer your question, it's a definite NO. Lol. Sorry, put too much work into it to let someone else take all the credit. 

Nicky – Well, that's all that Misao knows about the legend really, so it's up to her and Kenshin to figure it up by themselves, or wait for Katsura to fill them in. Ah, Yahiko? He'll probably end up being added to the mix, but as for his memory…well…that's something else that I've got to work on. Yeah, Kenshin's always nice ne? But Sou of course ^^ would MURDER him if he made Kaoru unhappy. Aoshi definitely would as well. Heck, what can I say? They're a very protective little family. Thanks for R&Ring! 

And now, on to the chapter!

Chapter 11 – Black Dawn 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_.

Kaoru made here way stealthily through the large compound of Sylven Laboratories; Kenshin right behind her. For a laboratory that had only one patient, the place sure was large, and the six had paired off to enter from different parts of the facility. Kaoru with Kenshin; Sanosuke with Soujirou; Aoshi and Misao. Although Aoshi had obtained the floor plans of the lab, there had not been a set location as to where the boy they had come to retrieve was. The team had agreed to let the others know once they found the boy either via telepathy or by the sophisticated communication set. Sanosuke would set the bomb off as soon as the boy was found, giving them a short time of 5 minutes to evacuate the place before it blew up. 

A sentinel passed by Kaoru and Kenshin's hiding place, and Kaoru's arm snaked out towards him, twisting his neck swiftly before he had time to cry out. Orders came first, guilt later; the pair had reverted into full assassin mode; Kaoru as the Kuro Bara, Kenshin as the Battousai. They advanced on, leaving the broken body of the man behind them. They briefly passed by the room the Sanosuke and Soujirou were in; Sanosuke gave them a thumbs-up and flashed a smile; Soujirou was using his Hex abilities again to store all the information that the lab had into his memory before they detonated the lab. Moving forward down the dimly lit corridor, the pair soon encountered a fork in the straight path; Kenshin nodded to Kaoru as he started down the left path; Kaoru took the right. She sent him a mental _Good luck._ Before she disappeared into the darkness of the corridor, which he returned. 

"Kagami here. All clear." Aoshi's voice crackled through the earpiece in Kenshin's ear. "No sign of the boy." 

Sanosuke's voice followed through. "Zanza. No interruptions here. Coast all clear." 

Kaoru's voice was like music to his ears. "Bara. Nothing yet. All clear." 

Kenshin finally spoke into the mouthpiece quietly. "Battousai. No signs of the boy. All clear. Report in 10 minutes." 

Murmurs of assent filled his ears; the earpiece fizzed once more before going silent. 

The path he was following sloped upwards, and he followed it, keeping close to the left wall; as attuned as his senses were, he didn't want any unwanted surprises leaping out to ambush him. Amber eyes narrowed as a sliver of light shone through from the edge of the corridor. 

He waited. 

~*~ 

The system welcomed him as his consciousness entered it. This time, Soujirou had no need to run past the security protocols that he had had to the first time around, basically because he was in the facility itself. He scanned the files easily, imprinting them onto his eidetic memory. They would erase all the records of the boy and the facility itself; both would be dead to the world, just like the members of Black Dawn were (1). Pulling the database off the Internet and the rest of the network system, he 'snapped' all ties to it, erasing the leftover data in other systems, before erasing everything else on the computer. He barked a command to the encrypted system, telling it to self-destruct all the information it held before he pulled out of the swim of numbers, and back into the real world. 

Sanosuke watched the younger man shudder slightly as he 'returned' to his body. Although he would never admit it to Soujirou's face, it creeped him out sometimes when he saw the way that Soujirou's eyes went blank during the use of his Hex abilities. He nodded at Sanosuke to reassure him, the green glow of the computer glinting off his mask as it ate away at its own memory. There was nothing more that they could do now except wait for the other two pairs to find their target. 

~*~ 

The sounds of talking and laughing filtered through the dimly lit corridor; the source seemed to come from a group of scientists relaxing in a room, unaware that there was, at this very moment, an assassin who had come to take their lives outside. Kenshin crouched by the half-open door, blending with the shadows as he listened in onto the conversation; he might be able to gain some information as to the boy's whereabouts in the facility, not to mention any extra information that was not recorded on the computer database that was being accessed by Soujirou. 

" …and then he said 'Stop!', but his eyes were blank, even though his body was writhing on the table, like some electric eel or something; the look on his face would have killed you!" One of the scientists; a man, laughed cruelly. 

"It seems that the boy reacts most to the brainwave shocks and the burn torture; physical cuts on his body don't seem to phase him anymore. I think we should intensify the treatment to gain more positive results." Another spoke, adding to the conversation. 

"I second that suggestion. Our research has been getting rather dull lately, and we should turn to new avenues to gain more results. How do you think he would react if we inputted rape memories into his brain?" Kenshin couldn't help but feel disgusted; it was a _woman_ who was saying something that was so utterly sick and obscene. 

"We can voice our opinions to the Board; I'm sure that they'll be quite happy to grant us the right to further our experiments on the boy. Quite fascinating, even if I do say so myself." The first scientist spoke again. 

"Well then, it's settled! Let's drink to our progress!" 

Wine glasses clinked together as they drank to their success. 

Kenshin had heard quite enough, and he was seething anger inside. He couldn't _believe_ the nerve of these people, using a young child as an experiment, as if his thoughts or feelings didn't matter; the way the boy was being experimented on, he would probably be better off dead, and put out of his misery. 'And these people call themselves _humans_!' He was very angry, and his eyes burned dangerously as his thumb slipped his katana out of its sheath. 'They have very well earned the right to die by my hand. Allowing them to live would mean that other children could get hurt, and if it means that I have to kill more of my fellow "humans" so that these children will not suffer, then so be it!' 

His katana made no sound as he drew it fully out from the sheath, moving into an attacking position even as he kicked the door open, hard. The scientists in the room looked up, surprised, as the door crashed hard into the wall; doorknob leaving a deep dent. They had not been prepared to see a man with furiously burning golden eyes, hair the colour of fresh blood; he was wearing a mask that covered his lower face, and wielded a sword. They stared at him stupidly, silently, unaware of the life-threatening situation that they were in, spellbound by his appearance. The words that he spoke next jarred them out of their staring reverie. 

"I have come to collect the debts for your sins." 

The spell was broken; one of the men was outraged that an intruder had been able to get through their security systems so easily. 

"Who the fuck are you and what the hell do you think-----!!!" The rest of his sentence was cut off as Kenshin's katana slashed through his skull, cleaving his face right down to his waist. 

The seriousness of their situation seemed to dawn upon them due to the death of their colleague right in front of their eyes. The two women started to scream, fear overpowering their sense of self-preservation; their screams stopped abruptly as their bodies slid to the floor bloodily, beheaded by the swing of Kenshin's harsh sword. Another man's body fell in the blink of an eye, his eyes gaping wide open as blood sputtered out from his mouth; his body had been slashed wide open from hip to shoulder and his blood puddle around him on the floor. The remaining scientist was shying away from Kenshin as the assassin advanced, face bleached due to fear while terror shook his features. 

"G-g-get away from me!" The terrified man all but shrieked. 

Kenshin's icy voice was a glaring contrast to the man's terror; the mask that he wore didn't hinder the taut anger that was withheld in his voice. "Where is the boy?" 

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Terror made him stupid as well, and he was not gaining any brownie points in Kenshin's book by denying it. 

The red head stepped closer to the scientist who was now up against the wall, with nowhere left to go. "I said: Where is the boy?" 

"D-d-demon! I'm telling you anything!" Kenshin's eyes narrowed, and the tip of his sword was placed at the man's throat, pushing slightly against his Adam's apple; the man gulped. 

"Let me ask you one more time: Where. Is. The. Boy." 

His fear got the better of him. "C-c-corridor on the right! F-f-first r-room on the left!" 

Without warning, the sword smashed into his heart, impaling him to the wall as blood splattered messily. The sword slid out again, coated in red blood as Kenshin drew it out, and shook it slightly to remove some of the blood on it. Leaning near to the dying man's ear he whispered. 

"I am neither an avenging angel nor a demon (2); only the one who brings Heaven's Justice." 

The red head turned and left, leaving a room with bloodied walls and broken bodies in his wake. 

~*~ 

Kaoru's footsteps echoed lightly in the corridor; katana held out near her waist, its scabbard tucked snugly into the belt that adorned her black trousers. She had been wondering down the corridor for sometime now, not encountering any rooms, but slaying a few guards easily. Considering that there were no reports from Kenshin or Aoshi, she figured that neither of them had found the boy yet. As if on cue, the earpiece crackled in her ear before Kenshin's voice spoke briefly. 

"Bara, the boy is located near you. First room on the left." His voice fizzed out again as he finished. 

"Roger." She saw the door to the room not far from her line of sight. Kaoru walked up to it quietly, one hand on the knob of the door, the other poised to thrust straight into the abdomen of any guard who happened to be on the inside of the door. Turning the knob of the door smoothly, she entered the room, ready for any surprise attacks to hit her. 

The pitiful sight on the bed was another thing entirely. 

A thin, almost skeletal figure lay on the bed, an IV drip hooked up to him. Messy hair embraced slightly tanned skin that was riddled with pink scars, and many other scabs. His eyes were closed, but his face was twisted in something that was far from peaceful sleep, his weak hands clenching and unclenching themselves in the sheets. Kaoru made her way closer to the bed, sheathing her sword; the boy seemed to be having a nightmare; he writhed within his sheets, as if he was fighting something, and some of the barely healed wounds on his arms reopened. His face was clenched in pain as he dreamed, arms reaching to non-existent phantoms. 

His voice was painfully soft even as he spoke within the realms of his dreams. 

"_Help me…please…someone…anyone…help me!_" Salty tears leaked from the corners of his eyes 

The sound of his voice made Kaoru feel like crying; she was no Empath, but the pain that the boy was feeling was so great that it even broke through her mental shields, giving her only a small taste of the pain that he had been, and still was going through. She reached for one of his small hands, cupping it in both of hers. 

"We have come." 

Eyelids that covered dark brown eyes slid painfully open as the emotions of this stranger flooded into him; anger and sadness and pain…all for him. He had never seen her before, and yet she had drawn him out of his nightmares, the ones that promised never-ending pain and hurt and violence with her soft voice. Yahiko could barely believe that this woman was here to save him, but the shimmering compassion in her eyes told him so, and her emotions betrayed her. It had been so long since he had felt comfort in a human touch…so very…very long… 

"Are you here…to save me?" His small voice was rusty with disuse; for 3 torturous years, he had not used his voice for anything, save screaming from the pain that was inflicted on him. 

The darkness comforted him as she answered softly. "Yes." Light fingers in gloves caressed his forehead lightly. "We will take you away from this place, and give you a new life. You don't have to be scared anymore." 

"New…life…?" The concept of the idea sounded so foreign to him. 

"Yes." 

The conversation was cut short as the door opened, and a foreign voice interrupted them. 

"Hey! How the fuck did you get in here?!" The security guard pulled at the gun from his holster as the light shone on Kaoru's figure by the side of Yahiko's bed. 

The young boy watched as the young woman transformed into a deadly assassin, katana flying from her sheath and slashing the man dead in one motion. He felt the flicker of the man's life force burn out, but was surprised to find that there was no happiness from the woman who had just snuffed the man's life out in one swing. Instead, he seemed to feel a grave sadness emanate from her, her anger dying down into a gray cloak (3). 'She is different.' He thought with surprise. 'She takes no pleasure at all in killing…and she even hurts herself emotionally.' The scientists had always gone out of their way to be cruel to him, and this strange woman's attitude and emotions was something that was new to him. 

Kaoru shook her sword out, and then slid it back into its sheath. She would have rather killed out of the boy's sight, but if she had taken another second, then they might have both been dead. Depressing the little com button on her collar slightly, she spoke into the mouthpiece. "I've found the boy. Set the bomb off, Zanza. Rest of the team out of the facility. I'll meet you back at the starting point." Affirmative responses came from both Sanosuke and Aoshi, and she turned to the door as Kenshin walked in, golden eyes blazing. They didn't speak as they exchanged glances with each other; acknowledging that both of them were safe; there would be time for sentiments later, but they had to bring the boy out now before the bomb went off. 

Kenshin walked to the bed, pulling off his black trench coat to wrap it around Yahiko's frail body. The boy didn't protest; he could also feel that this man didn't mean to bring any harm to him, and if the blue-eyed angel trusted him, then he did too. He closed his eyes in the warm comfort, free from the nightmares that haunted him at last. The boy was like a feather in Kenshin's arms, and he and Kaoru exited the desolate room. 

There would be no more torture in this place. 

~*~ 

Aoshi's cat-like pupils dilated as he saw the figures of his cousin and her HalfSoul, carrying a bundle in his arms proceed towards them. Sanosuke, Soujirou, Misao and himself had evacuated the facility before them, moving back towards the point on top of the hill where they had first started. They were awaiting Kenshin and Kaoru's return with the boy, and now that they had returned, for the explosion of the Sylven Laboratories. 

Dawn was fast approaching; time had sped by while they had been on their mission. They didn't have long to wait, as silence reigned before them, and there was a magnificent 'BOOM' as the facility exploded in flames, small mushroom clouds of smoke rising up from it as the place burned. Seven pairs of eyes watched on gravely as the smoke rose, mingling with the colours of the sun as it rose slowly on the horizon. 

They had simply done what they had been named after, and now there was indeed a Black Dawn that they had created. 

As the sound of police sirens and fire engines drew near, the six figures seemingly vanished into the horizon; the only sign of their presence was a fluttering piece of paper with a black rose atop it. 

Notes: 

(1) All members are dead to the world? What does that mean? It means that the team are not recorded as 'alive' to the world. In fact, they are all listed as 'deceased' on any police databases. As to how Kaoru and Sou can get into university, well, Katsura did some fake ID-ing, and there you have it! 

(2) Ah, this is a line borrowed from Weiss Kreuz. Aya says something like this in the series. "Tenshi demo, akuma de mo nai. Tada no hitogoroshi nanda." Translates to "I am neither an angel nor a demon. Just a murderer." 

(3) Yahiko's Empath abilities have been developed so much (due to all the time that the scientists were experimenting on him) that he can read emotions of a person if they are in close vicinity even without the sense of touch. Capish? 

A/N: Woo~ another dark-ish chapter. But well, this fic does revolve around assassins, so there's gotta be killing somewhere! Anyways, Yahiko has finally shown up, and will be taken into custody by Black Dawn, where he'll be free from crazy scientists and whatnot. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all in the next! 


	13. Chapter 12: Family

Disclaimer: I like where my money is right now, thank you very much! ^^; So please don't sue me! 

A/N: Wow! I've got over a 100 reviews now o_O and 11 people have got me on their favourite lists XD keeeewl~ Thank you to everyone who's been reading so far, and thanks to everyone for reviewing! Yet another filler chapter that balances out the darker one that was the last chapter. In this chapter, Kenshin and Kaoru get a call from Katsura who is willing to tell them about their connection, and Sanosuke and Soujirou have a little chat with Yahiko! A bit of Aoshi OOCness here, but well ^^ he's getting protective over Misao and Kaoru hehen~… Sano's a bit OOC as well, coz he's talking so much sense! Lol. 

**EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN ASKING FOR MEGUMI, TAKE NOTE! YES SHE WILL BE APPEARING, OK?! SO PLEASE STOP ASKING ALREADY! SHE'LL SHOW UP WHEN SHE SHOWS UP!!** 

Reviewers' Space! 

Anonymous person – Well, Yahiko will have to of course, recover from his painful ordeal before he can get close to any of them; granted, right now, he is closest to Kaoru than Kenshin, and closer to Kaoru more so than Kenshin. For now he'll be polite and everything, but in the future, well XD you'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for R&Ring and do stay around for more! 

Dragona - ^^ I'm glad you thought so! Yeah, this chapter is way more erm 'earthly-toned' to offset the death themes in the last one. Thanks for R&Ring and see you around next time! 

Pen D. Fox – Yup, Yahiko is good and fine now, thank goodness. They sure did deserve being murdered by him! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Donna8157 –Thank you! I'll update as soon as I can! 

Baka-Ryu –That was a pretty dark one, wasn't it? Lol, probably all the mission ones are gonna be dark now ^^;; Oh, Yahiko will adjust fine =) He'll just need some time to become the little brat that he is! :p See you in the next chapter! 

Sticks – I'm glad you like it! Linay's is definitely way darker, and woo- I don't think that I'm anywhere near her standard. Besides, I've got my own personal style of writing so that makes it different ^^. As to Megumi's appearance *points upwards* does that answer your question? Anyway, thanks for R&Ring, and I hope to see you around in the chapters to come! 

Chris – Yahiko probably isn't going to _actively_ take part in missions as the others do, but he'll be able to help in some way of course, but for the time being, he won't be having anything to do with missions. Yup, he will indeed be staying with them. Thanks for R&Ring! 

Poppy - ^^ That's no problem at all ^^ I like the story that you're writing at present, and I can't wait for your next chapter to come out, but take your time ^^ ah, the story will unfold itself as time goes on, so do keep on reading to find out what happens! Thanks for R&Ring!

The squirrel – glad you do! See you around in the chapters to come ne! 

Kaoru – Thanks ^^ I'm really flattered that you think so. I really appreciate all the reviews that I get from everyone, coz they are 1) encouragement, and 2) suggestions of how I can improve my fic (apart from the fact that there are also a ton of people asking me where missing characters are _ mou~). Thanks once again and I guess I'll see you around in the next chapter! 

Neko Oni – Lol, I know! I love dark/angst fics ^^;;; Maybe I was a sadist in my last life o_OOO;; But yeah, I get what you mean. This chapter may be slightly shorter than some of the chapters, but then again, I wouldn't expect them to talk a lot during missions, otherwise they'd be killed in no time! Yesh, Kenshin delivering Tenchuu is rather er…cool ^^;; I find it pretty spellbinding, especially with the speed and grace that he does it with, not all clumsy-like and all. _ that came out weird. XD Mwahaha~ yet another Weiss fan on board! ^^ Guilty as charged. I have an obsessive-compulsive disorder for a fact! Haha~ Glad to know I'm not the only one :p My parents always complain about my habit of picking up manga from all over the place; I read almost anything and everything (with the exception of yuri), so there are way over a 100 books of manga in my room. Probably nearing 200 or more. Anyways, thanks for reviewing again and see you in the next chapter! 

Cute Emerald - ^^ hehen~ that's not going to last for long though (the chapter updating speed rate, I mean). Yeah! Kenshin and Kaoru in action are always great. Mmm… I'll try to write more about Sanosuke and Aoshi, considering that I have kinda put the both of them on the back burner ^^;;; No problem, I love answering questions (unless they are going on about where Megumi is _) Yup, I'll definitely continue writing! Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you around in the next chapter! 

InuYasha22 – I know, Yahiko's really had it tough in this fic, poor child. Thanks for R&Ring and I hope to see you around in the next chapter too! 

Meirou - ^^ thanks for the compliment! ^^ Wow, you check in daily for updates? Lol, I hope that you won't be too disappointed because starting from next week, it'll take much longer to update, and as tests and projects start coming in, it'll get even worse. *Sigh* the trials and tribulations of a senior year. _ I think I'll be putting my Inuyasha fanfic on the backburner as well…it's so hard to think up stuff for it. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

Dragontamer9741 – I'm glad you like the story! ^^;; Lol yesh, and I need time to write too. Yahiko is now at the Black Dawn headquarters, and he'll be fine there. As for the K/K relationship, it'll take some time, because if I just rush into it at once, it'll kinda suck and it won't be thought out properly, so sorry, but you've just gotta be patient, ne? Anyway, thanks for R&Ring and do stay around for the chapters to come! 

Nicky – XD I'm glad you love the story! Nope, Yahiko can get emotions off everybody, but since Kaoru was the first to find him, and was the first to show him the warmth of a human touch, he'll probably be more responsive to Kaoru than anyone else. Nah, he's gotta heal first before he starts calling her 'ugly'! Lol, ^^; afterall, she did take him outta the hell that he was living in, so he can't be all that ungrateful at first. Kenshin could also walk into his dreams if he wished too, considering that he is, afterall, a Dreamwalker. Yup, I'll try to update ASAP, and you're welcome to ask other questions that I'll try my best to answer them! Thank you for R&Ring and I hope to see you around soon! ^^ 

CurlsofSerenity – Yeah, I know, those scientists are truly shitty, aren't they? Can't say that I enjoyed making them so cruel, but it just came out that way; people who experiment on fellow human beings like that are less than human. Thanks so much for R&Ring and stay around for more updates! 

Shahrezadl – Yeah, the assassin structure and idea was loosely based around Weiss, and Kenshin and Sano's characters are based loosely off Ran and Ken respectively (o_O although there will be no shonen-ai here! Lol). Sou-chan and Kaoru are unique enough on their own ^^ Do stay around for more and thanks for R&Ring! 

Ewunia – Ooh, haven't seen you in a bit! Welcome back! I'm glad you think it's good! I'll definitely continue writing as much as I can! Nope, Kaoru is definitely not a weak link in this story; in fact, she's one of the strongest, if I may say so myself. Portraying Kaoru as someone who always needs help is common enough in many stories, so I figured that it'd be fun to portray her as someone whose soul is just as dirt-riddled as Kenshin's so that she isn't leagues apart from him. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you around! 

Now…on to the fic! 

Chapter 12 - Family 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

The Black Dawn household was silent, its occupants either still asleep or outdoors. Kenshin was making lunch in the kitchen, humming slightly to himself as he swiftly chopped up the carrots that would go into the bowl of sukiyaki. The microwave emitted a soft 'ding' as the timer stopped, signifying that the chicken soup he had made was ready. Abandoning the carrots for the moment, he wiped his hands on the half-apron that he wore over his close and made for the microwave. His thoughts lingered back to the few days that had passed, and to the new addition to the household. 

The young Empath, Myoujin Yahiko that they had retrieved from the Sylven Laboratories was currently residing with Kenshin in his room. Kaoru had given him the option of having his own room, but the boy had shook his head silently, and they understood that he wanted to be near someone at all times so that the nightmares would not return. Kenshin had then suggested that the boy stay in his room with him; Yahiko had gotten used to Sanosuke and Soujirou, but was still not comfortable enough to be left in a room with them, and they knew that it would take some time for him to accept them as friends, or at least, people who would not lift a finger to hurt him; he had already accepted Kenshin and Kaoru because they had been the first ones to show him the warmth of a human touch. Kaoru had also offered Yahiko the option to stay with her in her room, but the boy had decided that he didn't want to impose on her privacy, what with her being a woman and all, and Kaoru was not in the least offended by this. She understood that Kenshin would be able to calm the boy down, and if Yahiko really needed to see her in the middle of the night, she would be just next door. 

Aoshi and Misao had left the day after their mission, returning to Kyoto due to a message from Okina. Kaoru had promised that she would visit them soon, and a cheery Misao left with the stoic Aoshi. Kenshin's thoughts returned to the assassin with long ebony tresses and depthless blue eyes as he trudged up the stairs with the bowl of broth to his room. Both Kaoru and her twin were at Tokyo University attending their classes; their third year semester had started just two days ago. It was a Friday today, and both of them had their classes in the morning, so they had left the house after a hasty cup of coffee to catch a ride on the bus that took them straight to their university. Kenshin had been awake, and he called out an "Itterashai!" as they left, and Kaoru graced him with a smile, and with eyes that glittered mischievously, blew him a flying kiss before disappearing after her twin. The pair hadn't had time to talk much, what with the school year starting and Yahiko moving in with them, but the gazes and small affectionate touches that they shared together were enough for him. 

Now he turned the doorknob to his room with one hand, holding the bowl of soup on a tray in the other. He blinked, surprised to see Yahiko sitting up at his futon and looking out of the window; he hadn't expected the boy to wake up so early. 'Well, it saves me the problem of having to wake him up.' Kenshin thought. He closed the door behind him, and brown eyes turned to regard him silently. He smiled tentatively at Kenshin as the man sat down beside him. "Ohayo." The red head greeted him with a sunny smile. 

"Ohayo." Yahiko responded. The boy was still recovering from his ordeal, and was very quiet; it was not a surprise to Kenshin, considering that the scientists back at the lab probably didn't even bother to address the boy as a human, but only as a test subject, and with no one else to talk to, and only pain as his companion, he had withdrawn within himself. Whatever the case, it was good that he was even talking to Kenshin and Kaoru, let alone Soujirou and Sanosuke, and Kenshin was glad. It would take time for him to learn to accept that they were now his family, and would do anything to protect him. 

"Hungry?" Kenshin thrust the bowl under the boy's nose, and the delicious smell that wafted up into his nostrils was utterly divine. Yahiko reached out and took the bowl from Kenshin muttering an "Arigatou." And "Itadakimasu." Kenshin watched him as he drank the soup slowly, praying that the boy would recover soon, and that he would never have to deal with such pain again. 

~*~ 

Kaoru scribbled notes madly as the professor lectured on about child psychopathology. It was only her third day back at school, and already she had a pile of homework that involved a ton of essays, and a project due in two weeks. As she scratched her nose absently, she wondered how on earth she would be able to fit in everything into her already busy schedule. She flicked her eyes to her watch. It was 11.25am. '5 more minutes to go before this lesson ends.' She sighed. She was lucky that she only had one class today; she could use the rest of the day to catch up with all the work that had piled on over the week. 

_Boooooooooring!_ Soujirou's voice suddenly echoed in her mind, and she fought to bite back a giggle at his tone of voice. _What lecture are you having? _She had tuned out her professor by now; she'd just get notes from other people later or read up on the book by herself. 

He grumbled in reply. _Administrative Law_. _Kami-sama, it is so boring! Maybe I should just have taken a Computer course. _Kaoru laughed mentally. With his Hex abilities, he wouldn't even have needed to go to class at all, but just go straight to the exams and pass with flying colours. _Mou! I'd rather be back home looking after Yahiko!_ She felt Soujirou grin in her mind. _And you'd rather spend more time with Kenshin? _He teased. Kaoru's cheeks grew pink. _Oh be quiet you!_ She retorted to her twin. _I'll meet you at the gates in 15 minutes!_ He laughed as he left her mind. 'And once again, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that there is definitely something going on between me and Kenshin.' She muttered to herself in her mind. Her thoughts wandered as she thought about the conversation that she had had with Misao about the soulmate principle. 'Are we really soulmates?' She pondered again. Kaoru still couldn't find an answer to their connection, and Kenshin didn't seem to know either, unless he was intentionally hiding it from her, but even then, she would have been able to tell because their connection didn't allow for 'blockades' between them. 

She blinked as she noticed the rest of the class moving to get out, and she realized that the lecture was over. Packing her notepad and bits of stationery into her carry bag, she too, joined the throng of people who moved towards the exit doors. 

~*~ 

Kenshin was about to go down the stairs back to the kitchen with the empty bowl in his hand when the phone rang. He shrugged, deciding to let himself indulge in a little bit of fun. He moved back a few steps from the stairway railing, giving himself enough space to leap over it. Breaking into a short run, he used the momentum to start the leap with his left foot, and his right foot came down on the railing, letting him curl into a forward flip in midair, and in seconds he had landed gracefully on the lower floor, ponytail slapping against his back as he arrived. The jarring ring tone of the cordless phone was cut short as he grabbed it and placed it between his shoulder and a cheek, walking towards the kitchen. 

"Moshi moshi?" 

"Ah, Himura, it's you." Katsura's voice greeted him. 

"Katsura-san." He acknowledged. 

"I'm calling to congratulate everyone on a job well done with the Sylven Laboratories. Are you having any trouble settling in with the other members of Black Dawn?" 

"Iie." Was the reply, as the red head rinsed the bowl off in the wash basin. "I'm settling in quite well actually, and the boy, Yahiko, that we brought back from the labs is currently rooming with me." 

"Good, good." Murmured Katsura. "The boy is recovering, I take it?" Kenshin gave an affirmative "Aa." The next sentence from the other end of the phone caught his attention fully. 

"And how is your interaction going with Kamiya Kaoru?" 

Amethyst eyes were wide as he answered the question, keeping any emotion from creeping into his voice. "We are friends." He was wary, and he couldn't help but suspect that Katsura knew alot more than he let on. 

"Have you been experiencing any signs of familiarity? Been seeing a silver cord, perhaps?" 

This time Kenshin couldn't hold back the words that leapt from his lips, surprise overriding control. 

"How do you know about this?" He blurted. 

Katsura chuckled lightly. "I suppose that is the answer to my question then. If you would like to know more about the connection that you have with Kamiya Kaoru, then I will be at the Kouka Teahouse at 3pm today. I look forward to seeing both of you there." The phone line went dead, and Kenshin sighed as the dial tone rang in his ears. 

He dried his hands on the wash towel and rolled his eyes slightly. 'If he had just told us earlier what he had known, then Kaoru and I wouldn't be so clueless as to what on earth is going on with is.' He paused in thought, and a little smile graced his features. 'But then again if he had, I probably wouldn't have decided to make a move on her.' He turned and sweatdropped at hearing something, or rather, someone, rolling down the stairs; it was none other than the resident accident-prone assassin, Sanosuke. The tall spiky-haired man rubbed at his throbbing head painfully, getting up from his spot on the floor. Kenshin thought that it was a miracle that he hadn't broken anything after having rolled down the flight of stairs so many countless times. Unfazed, the lazy man pushed himself off the floor, yawning loudly to the world. 

"Whaz for lunch?" 

Kenshin shook his head at the man's crazy antics. "Sukiyaki. We'll wait for Kaoru and Soujirou to come back. They should be back soon." He could feel Soujirou and Kaoru coming up the path to the house. "In fact, they'll be back anytime--" The front door opened and a gust of wind blew in. "Now." Kenshin finished. 

"Tadaima!" The two chorused merrily, shutting the door behind them and wandering into the house. 

"Okaeri." Kenshin smiled. "We've got sukiyaki for lunch; thought that you might enjoy something nice and warm after trudging around in the cold weather." He turned to go back up the stairs. "I'll go upstairs and see if Yahiko wants to come down and join us." He stopped halfway up, and turned around. "Kaoru, Katsura-san wants to see us in the Kouka Teahouse at 3pm today." 

"Just us?" She was puzzled. 

"Hai." Came the answer. 

Sanosuke seemed to come awake and grinned at each of them in turn. "Aw, man, why don't you just say that you want some time with her alone and we'll all just back off." He raised his hands in his own defence as both of them pinned him with deadly glares. "Ok, ok, I'll shut up now." 

Kaoru passed by the tall man, smacking him upside in the head with her carry bag before shrugging off her coat. Soujirou followed, shaking his head in mock disappointment and reached to pat Sanosuke's shoulder. "Even if it is a fact, you should know better than to say that to them." 

An answering grumble greeted him and he batted away Soujirou's hand lightly. 

"Yeah yeah yeah. Whatever." 

~*~ 

Aoshi was once again sitting on the same tatami mat that he had been on, not too many days ago, and this time, Okina was briefing him on what Katsura had said about their mission for the slave auction. 

"The Oniwa Banshuu will be working alongside Black Dawn again, namely, you and Misao." The old man cleared his throat slightly. Aoshi would not like hearing what came next. "Misao and Kamiya Kaoru will be posing as waitresses in the disco to spy on the auction. The rest of you will be gathered around the disco to ensure that none of the 'clients' get out." 

Aoshi was furious. "We are talking about my cousin and Misao here. What is going to happen if someone tries to hurt them? How are we going to help them then?" His voice was getting louder and louder, and even the birds outside the shoji took flight at his anger. "Who the **hell** will be responsible if something happens to them?! I refuse to allow the girls to be in danger!" He tried to calm himself. 

Okina's eyebrows rose slightly; it was the first time that he had ever seen the man get so worked up over a mission. "The girls are more than skilled enough to handle themselves in any way, so you shouldn't worry." 

Aoshi's anger reared up again and he sputtered. "You're sticking them in a rowdy place like that with a bunch of fucking inhuman perverted **lowlifes**, and you're telling me **NOT** **TO WORRY?!** Where the hell is the common sense in that!" 

The situation was fast getting out of hand. 

Okina's next sentence was clipped. "If you are not able to handle your emotions over your fellow comrades, then you will not be participating in this mission, Okashira or not." 

Aoshi's blue eyes blazed and he barely stopped himself from leaping across the short table to throttle the old man who met his direct glare. Aoshi turned his head away, trying once again to get his emotions under control, breathing harsh. The ice mask returned and his eyes once again met Okina's. His eyes were cold as steel. 

"If you are going to put the girls in as waitresses, then **I** will go in there myself to ensure their safety. Is that agreeable?" He didn't expect to be shot down. 

"No." Was Okina's reply, and Aoshi opened his mouth to protest. "You will be needed on the outside. We can however, put Battousai on the inside as a 'guest'." The look on his face told him that there was no other option for Aoshi; it was either 'take it or leave it'. 

Aoshi nodded, feeling the more relieved at knowing that Kenshin would be keeping a close watch on the girls. He knew that there was indeed something going on between the amethyst-eyed assassin and his cousin, so he was assured that Kaoru was well protected. He might be many things, but Aoshi was definitely not ignorant; he knew that if anyone tried to even harm a hair on Kaoru's head, he would be dead in a second by Kenshin's sword. Aoshi didn't underestimate Kenshin's skill at all; after all, he was the top assassin, but Aoshi would have felt much better if _he_, himself had an eye on Misao. It was no question that the Okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu was very overprotective of the young ninja, but no one was fool enough to say it to his face in case they ended up with a black eye or worse. 

"Good." Okina was glad that the lanky man had agreed. He shuddered inwardly. Aoshi's emotional outbursts were few and in between, but once he exploded…that was a totally different story. 'It's only Misao who can calm him.' 

'And, by gods, I wish the girl luck!' 

~*~ 

Kenshin and Kaoru had left shortly after lunch, leaving Yahiko in the care of Sanosuke and Soujirou. The latter had left Yahiko with Sanosuke to finish some homework, and Yahiko was rather wary of the tall man. He could feel no malice coming from Sanosuke, but still, it never hurt to be careful. Now he snuck a look at Sanosuke, who was sprawled on the couch, seemingly asleep while the sounds of the anime that was showing on TV provided background noise. He jumped slightly, as Sanosuke's unexpected voice jarred him. 

"Is there something on my face?" 

Sanosuke's eyes opened to regard Yahiko seriously. The young boy shook his head no. The spiky-haired man sat up in his seat, scratching his head. His eyes met Yahiko's. 

"Look, I know I'm not the nicest guy in the world, and I know that you're kinda scared of me, but if you sense my emotions, you'll know that I'll do you no harm." He stretched a hand out towards Yahiko; the Empath stared at the outstretched hand and made no move to reach for it. Seeing that the boy would make no move to touch his hand, he sighed and withdrew it, putting a knuckle to his own forehead. "Well, it was worth a try." He closed his eyes again, then cracked one open. "I guess we'll have to resort to the normal way then. Talking." The eye closed again. 

"I don't know how I know this, but something tells me that you're accepting Kaoru as something like a mother-figure, and Kenshin as a father-figure." The widening of Yahiko's eyes proved him correct. "Maybe in time, you'll learn to accept me 'n Soujirou as sort of brother figures." He carried on. "For now though, I'd like you to understand that you can always count on us to protect you, and support you. We won't---" He broke off, hoping that the next words came out right. "We won't ever try to hurt you like those bastards did in the lab." Sanosuke could hear the boy stir slightly, and was slightly surprised went he felt his weight sink into the same couch that he was sitting on. 

He opened his eyes again and stared straight into Yahiko's dark brown eyes that mirrored his. "In a twisted kind of way, we're all related to each other through our pain, and this patchwork family that we have right under this roof, is the one thing that holds us together. What I guess I'm trying to say is this: you don't ever have to worry about any of us in this household ever hurting you, because even if you don't realize it, we would fight teeth and nails to protect you. Don't ever hesitate to tell us what's on your mind, because we will do our utmost to help you." 

"Sanosuke's right." They turned to see Soujirou walking down the stairs and adding in to the conversation. He sat near Yahiko, giving the boy a small smile. "Please trust us when we say that we'll never ever hurt you. We're way too protective of each other in this house to ever do that." 

The comforting presence of the two men sitting beside him seemed to bring back emotions that he had thought he would never have felt again. It was strange to him, but he felt accepted, something that he had never been in his childhood as an Empath; other children were afraid of him because of his uncanny ability to read their emotions, and he didn't even want to think about the scientists. Yahiko had been afraid to hope, that these people were even willing to accept him as a human, let alone a family member, and yet, against all odds, they had willingly brought him into their home, and had told him that he **was** a member of their family. He hadn't been trying to avoid them, these people who had rescued him from his chamber of torture, and who had given him a new home, but he had been trying to protect himself from developing emotional ties that could hurt him if he allowed himself to hope. 

'Maybe…maybe it's ok…to accept these people as family…I want…I wish…to be part of something again…I've been so lonely…so very lonely…and after so long, I've finally found a place that I can belong to.' His mind trembled slightly at the thought. 

The men were slightly surprised when they saw Yahiko smile slightly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. He wiped a sleeve over his eyes, and bent his head as he started to cry, unbidden emotions coming to the surface after having been suppressed for so long. 

"Thank you." He whispered. 

The men shared smiles over his head as they patted him on the back, letting him cry his heart out, whispering words of comfort. Soujirou's mental voice wrapped around the trio like a comfortable blanket. 

_It's alright now, because we're here now; you have family._

_We are your family.  
  
_

Dictionary 

Sukiyaki – Japanese beef meal. It's like beef hotpot, very delicious, and tastes absolutely wonderful especially after you've been out in the cold for hours on end. 

Itterashai – Something that you say when people are leaving the house. Means 'Have a safe journey'. 

Ohayou – good morning 

Arigatou – thank you 

Itadakimasu – Bon apetit 

Mou! – Kaoru's little exclamation that she uses when she's exasperated or embarrassed. 

Moshi moshi – saying 'hi' on the phone 

Iie – no 

Tadaima – I'm home 

Okaeri – welcome back 

Hai – yes 

Tatami mat – Japanese straw mat that's put on the floor 

Oniwa Banshuu – spy organization that Misao and Aoshi are in 

Okashira – chief/head (of an organization) 

A/N: Whew! 3500+ words _ It was kinda tough to write this chapter, coz it was hard to portray Sano and Yahiko's feelings without making the whole chapter way to sappy. Not one of my best chapters in my opinion, but nice enough to make it there. Hope that this one didn't bore you all, but well, it is kinda peaceful, isn't it? Next chapter: Kenshin and Kaoru's meeting up with Katsura to hear about the HalfSoul connection, so expect some WAFFYness! Thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	14. Chapter 13: Sweet Bliss

Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, I don't own RK or WK either! _ Although I wish I did! Ooh, and the soul mate principle belongs to L.J. Smith. 

A/N: *grins evilly* Let's hope that my yelling rant in the last chapter discourages people from asking me time and time again where Megumi is. Now maybe people will take note of the author's notes. Anyway, welcome back everybody, and this chapter will probably be a delight for K/K fans ^^ They're finally going to find out about their HalfSoul connection from Katsura, and WAFFYness ensues =) XD OOC-ish Kenshin! My, my, how very mischievous XDXD Enjoy! 

Reviewers' Space! 

DragonTamer9741 - ^^;; wow, I'm glad that there is someone who gets that overjoyed after finding my story =) Lol, nice to know that you enjoy my story that much! Thank you ^^ I'll try to update as fast as I can! Thanks for reading and reviewing, and hope to see you around in the chapters to come! 

Missaw – hyper? ^^ I do that a lot too. Especially after eating chocolate! Glad you like the story girl! I'll see you around in the next chapter! 

Tanukichan – Glad that you like it! I agree; the more WAFFYness, the better! ^^ I'll update as soon as I possibly can! 

Baka-Ryu – I'm glad you think so! I worked hard on that scene to make sure that it didn't make Sano and Sou too unmanly. It turned out ok, I guess! Yup, more again on the HalfSoul concept ^^;;; I can imagine Kaoru blowing up. Thanks for R&Ring and see you around in the next chapter! 

Chris – yup, Aoshi sure blew up alright! He is definitely overprotective over Misao! Lol, you're right, those girls are real lucky to have 3 bishies being so protective over them! Ah, yes, ^^ the boys' reactions to the girls going undercover. It'll be a blast! Thanks for R&Ring and do stay around for more! 

Dragowolf – What? It *is* my story so I can do what I want to it :p *sigh* I have to tell you that I'm more of a Kaoru fan, so you'll just have to deal with that. I don't see how exactly I'm making Misao weak in anyway, and even if you do see her as weak, I'm writing up her character as I see it my way. If you're referring to the way that Aoshi is blowing up thanks to Okina's suggestion, then that's just Aoshi being overprotective, not Misao being weak. Whatever. Thanks for R&Ring. 

Dragona – Glad you liked it! I'll try to update as fast as I can, and anyway, here's the next chapter! 

Neko Oni – Hell yeah! I'm like that sometimes. Totally peaceful until you rile me up, and then you'll get what you asked for. Seriously! What the hell do they think the author's notes are there for if not for them to read -_- I hope other people get the message loud and clear too, otherwise I'll probably murder the next person who asks the same question. Yea, it's kinda strange to visualize assassins going to school, isn't it? Lol, well, they had to do *something* in the day, otherwise the story would get boring real fast, and it can't all be missions all the time, ne? I would kill to be able to yak in class without being found out either! ^^;; of course, when the teacher asks you an impromptu question, then you're also screwed, right? Kenshin and Sano are done with uni already, so they get to laze around, hehe. Kenshin's gracefulness is definitely up there on my list of wonderful things, lol. Mmm…manga is gooooood! I've got the 8 books of RuroKen, 3 of Inuyasha, and a ton on everything else. Ranma ½ is currently showing on TV over here, and it's pretty hilarious ^^; Too bad it's so hard to get doujinshi where I live. I only know about 3 people who are totally in love with manga and anime around here, but oh well. Thanks for reviewing girl! ^^ Ooh, and when are you going to update your stories, hmm? I'm waiiiiting ^^ Lol. See ya in the next one! 

Kaoru – Yeah, reviews sure are gratifying, aren't they? Lol, to each his own, but too many people have been asking the same question over and over again, and I just got really fed up. XD so I indulged in a loud rant! Mwahahhah~ lol, yeah, I'll try to see what I can do with Yahiko, but for now, he's just really chill. I'm glad you like it! And that you're still around reading it ^^ Unfortunately, updates are gonna be pretty slow from now on, coz school is starting for me this week. Sucky, but well, just gotta deal with it. Thanks for R&Ring girl, and see you in the next chapter! 

Nicky - ^^ I'm glad it's so satisfying. Yup, Kenshin and Kaoru & co. have a new mission (but Katsura just hasn't told them about it yet, hehe). Yahiko is on the mend, thank goodness, so he'll probably become more open in the chapters to come. XD I'd like to see Kenshin's reaction too! *Snigger* It sure will be interesting! ^^ Time will tell; anyway, thanks for R&Ring! I'll update as soon as I possibly can! 

Flyinangel777 – Ooh, new reviewer. Hi there! ^^ Thanks for reading, and I'll try to update as soon as I can, so please be patient until then, ne? 

InuYasha22 – Hehe, hope this chapter satisfies you then! 

Sticks - ^^;;; Sorry for yelling. Glad that you enjoyed this chapter! It *is* good to see Yahiko opening up more, isn't it? XD haha~ Sou just loves to tease Kaoru ^^ Their conversations are always so very amusing! Thanks for R&Ring, and I hope to see you around for the chapters to come too! 

CurlsofSerenity – Yeah ^^;;; Sano's being nice; he ain't all that bad, just rough around the edges and all. Thanks for R&Ring and see you around in the next chapter! 

Now, on to the WAFF! 

Chapter 13 – Sweet Bliss 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

Kenshin and Kaoru walked close together, shoulders grazing together, fingers almost-touching, yet not touching, as they made their way through the throng of people, moving towards the Kouka Teahouse where Katsura waited for them. They had left the house not long after lunch, and had taken the MTR to the Shinjuku station. The journey had been made in comfortable silence; neither Kenshin or Kaoru felt the need to talk, and besides, all the other people in the train made more than enough noise for both of them. Many whispers and glances had been thrown their way, at the handsome man with auburn locks and strange amethyst eyes, and his companion, a pretty woman with ebony tresses and deep blue eyes. It was as if they were in a world apart on their own; they looked so secretive and mysterious to outsiders, but yet, seemed to exude a 'look-don't-touch' kind of aura. 

That didn't stop numerous high school girls from sneaking glances at Kenshin and tittering softly to themselves about the good-looking man, and Kaoru's jealous glare didn't seem to affect them much either. The edges of Kenshin's lips turned up in a smile as he felt Kaoru's jealousy flare slightly at the glances that the girls were giving him, but he only had eyes for his one and only blue-eyed angel. Surprised blue orbs turned to him when he laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand gently in a reassuring manner. A smile spread across her face as she returned his squeeze. The train gave a sudden jolt, sending many people off balance, and someone crashed into Kaoru's back, throwing her forwards. A strong arm snaked around her waist, and Kenshin's chest cushioned her fall as he held on to her tightly, leaning against the door of the train compartment. When she looked up at him, face blushing pink, his bemused amethyst eyes tinged with gold looked back down at her, a little smirk adorning his face. 

'Mou!' she thought to herself. 'He's so infuriating!' She let out a small indignant "hmph!" and turned her head away from him. His smirk grew wider. _Am I now?_ His silky voice invaded her mind, tingling electricity between them. She blatantly ignored him, although he knew very well that she had heard his voice, but she kept her face turned away from him, exposing the alabaster skin of her neck to him. 'Well then.' Kenshin thought amusedly. 'I'll just have to get her attention back to me.' He ducked his head slightly to her neck, his crimson ponytail covering his actions from the public, and he nibbled lightly into her neck. 

'Oh. My. God.' Kaoru let out an involuntary gasp as Kenshin's teeth nibbled teasingly at her flesh, her eyes widening. The teeth were soon replaced by equally teasing lips that kissed the same spot on her neck. Then he lifted his head again, and Kaoru felt the loss of his lips on her neck. The high school girls squealed as he gave Kaoru a very wicked grin, amethyst eyes flashing amber for mere seconds before changing back to their normal colour. She shoved him playfully in mock anger, but at that moment, the train doors chose to open behind him, and he fell backwards against the platform; she fell on top of him, his arm still wrapped around her waist. Kaoru blushed red as she tried to get up from Kenshin's strong hold on her waist, but he continued to grin mischievously from his spot on the floor, refusing to relinquish his hold on her. A crowd was starting to gather around them; she could hear girls giggling, and she didn't even need to look to see the stares that people were giving them; they were also blocking the pathway. 

"Kenshin!" She hissed. "People are watching!" 

"So?" Came the nonchalant answer. 

She muttered something under her breath and continued to wriggle in his hold, trying to get him to let her go. 

Apparently he heard the muttering, because his eyes flashed amber once, widening slightly, and the grin on his face grew; his hold on her loosened and he finally allowed her to get up. 

She had grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the crowd that had formed around them, face still a burning red. As soon as they had got out of the station, she dropped his hand and turned around to face him. She poked him in the chest, and started to rant. 

"You are the most infuriating, annoying, craziest and embarrassing man that I have ever known! Ooooh, you make me so mad!!" Amusement danced in his eyes as she continued to scold him. "Don't you ever do that in public again!" 'Why do I always seem to end up in embarrassing situations when Kenshin is around?' 

"So I can do this when we're home?" He drawled. 

"Mou! I never said that!" she retorted. Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle at her; she was just too adorable when she was angry. He lowered his head so that his lips were close to her ear. 

"I know you liked it. We'll finish this at home." The husky voice sent shivers up her spine. He winked at her and started walking along the pavement. "Let's go now!" 

~*~ 

A waitress greeted them with a cheery smile as Kenshin and Kaoru entered the Kouka Teahouse. "Irrashaimase! How may I help you?" Catching sight of Takasugi who was sitting at one of the tables, he returned her smile answering that their companions were already waiting for them. The pair approached Takasugi's table. 

He greeted them with a wave of his hand. "Yo. And just how have my favourite assassins been doing?" The pair arched eyebrows at him. "Faring well, I guess? And how's the connection going?" 

Kaoru's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You _knew_?!" Surprise was soon turning into outrage. "And you didn't tell us?!" Her fingers itched to whack the man upside in the head, but he was her superior, so she couldn't do anything. 

"Relax." He drawled, puffing out a breath of cigarette smoke. "Katsura will tell you all about it." His thumb jerked towards a room behind him. "He's already in there, so you'll be able to get your answers real soon." Takasugi shrugged. "FYI, I only found out after you guys met up." A rakish grin lit his face. "Good luck with all the philoso-babble that you're going to get from him." 

Realizing that that was all that they would be able to get out of the man, they walked past him towards the only room near the back of the teahouse. Kaoru and Kenshin slipped off their shoes, and the former slipped the shoji door slightly, peeking in to see if Katsura was really in there already. They took up seats in front of Katsura, steaming hot tea in front of them. He smiled at them benignly. 

"Thank you for coming to see me. I trust that you have many questions about the familiarity that you both feel with each other, and also about the silver cord?" Kenshin and Kaoru nodded silently. "All those questions will be answered today to the best of my knowledge." 

"Ano, Katsura-san, before you start telling us about the connection that we have, can you please tell us why you know so much?" Kaoru was curious. 

The amiable reply came. "Of course. For one thing, I am a Seer (1), and I guess you can say that I foresaw this. For another thing, I have had the experience of knowing a connection like yours and Himura's." 

Kaoru could only utter a surprised "Oh." 'Wow. We're not the only weird ones then. There are other people like us who have a connection like this?' Kenshin's mental voice hushed her. _Shh… let's just listen to what Katsura-san has to say for now._ She nodded absently. 

"Well." Katsura began. "There is a name for people like you who feel such a connection. These people are called HalfSouls. Before I confuse you any further, let's start on the soul mate principle. Have you heard about something like that?" Kaoru nodded; Misao had told her something about it. Kenshin, however, was absolutely clueless. "The soul mate principle states that for every person that exists, there is a soul mate, another soul, that they are meant to be with. I have no idea whether there are indeed soul mates in this world, but the one thing that comes close to it are HalfSouls." He pointed at Kaoru and Kenshin in turn. "That is what you two are. Originally, two HalfSouls are actually one, whole soul. However, through the process of reincarnation through many lives, that one soul split into two, thus forming two people. This rarely occurs, but when it does, then HalfSouls are formed. Basically, when HalfSouls meet, they will have a sense of familiarity about each other, which I'm sure both of you have been experiencing. Yet another characteristic that HalfSouls have is the ability to read each others' minds and emotions, whether they are telepaths or empaths or not." He paused, regarding Kenshin and Kaoru. 

"There are of course, good points and bad points to this. You may of course, feel that you have no privacy." His face broke out into a small grin. "You _could_ try to hide facts or other information from your HalfSoul, but they can easily find out what it is when you fall into a state of Mind Limbo (2)." 'Anytime now, they will start asking questions.' Katsura smiled to himself secretively. As if on cue, Kenshin opened his mouth to ask a question. 

"So…what you're saying is that we are destined to be together?" 

Katsura fingered his chin thoughtfully. "If you can put it in so many words, then, yes, HalfSouls are destined to be together. However, the probability of finding one's HalfSoul is very low, so I would say that you two are lucky to have found each other. I know I was lucky to find Ikumatsu-san." 

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Kaoru's outburst echoed through the whole teahouse, and other patrons and waitresses alike glanced in the direction of the private room. She clapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment, while Kenshin let out a small "Oro." And Katsura looked on. 

"In case you still haven't figured out by now, I too, am a HalfSoul, which explains how I know so much as to what's going on with you two. The silver cord that only the two of you can see is evidence of being HalfSouls, and so is the silver mist. Although strong telepaths," He gestured to Kaoru. "Can indeed delve quite deeply into the mind of an unconscious individual and see their memories, HalfSouls can unconsciously tap into each others' minds, regardless of whether they are awake or not. HalfSouls can also find each other and communicate mentally over vast distances, which is something that telepaths cannot master unless they are very experienced." 

"Katsura-san, what about the sparks of electricity that seem to occur during contact?" 

"That is also yet another characteristic of HalfSouls. There is no way to avoid this, and every time you come into contact, or close contact with your HalfSoul, you will experience this electricity. You can, however control whether you move into Mind Limbo from there, or stay in the reality world after that contact." Katsura himself was rather experienced in doing this. 

Kenshin continued. "And what about the colours?" 

"The colours that you may be able to 'see' coming off of your HalfSoul usually depicts their mood or emotions. The colours that you may see in their mind, however, are a completely different thing. You will learn to understand one colour from another as time goes on." 

Kaoru's quiet voice interrupted. "What happens if one HalfSoul dies? What will happen to the other one?" Kenshin's eyes flicked to her, amethyst eyes wide. 'Why is she asking such a question?' 

Katsura's face turned grave. "For this question, I can offer no answer to you. It may be that the other HalfSoul will continue to live, feeling the loss of the deceased one, and may never feel whole again. Or" His eyes seemed to grow sad. "It may be that both of them will die." 

"I see." Her eyes lowered to the surface of the table, and she refused to meet Kenshin's eyes. _Kaoru…_ He whispered to her worriedly. She continued to stare at the table. He would have to address her concerns as soon as they were out of here. 

"Do you have anymore questions for me to answer?" Katsura questioned them. The pair shook their heads in silence. "If that is the case, then Kamiya, would you allow me to have 5 minutes with Himura in private?" Kaoru stood up and bowed, silently, still not meeting Kenshin's eyes as his eyes searched for hers, and she closed the shoji door behind her, her shoes whispering softly against the floor as she moved away from the room. 

"Himura." Kenshin turned back to face Katsura. "I hope that you understand that the connection that you have with Kamiya is of the utmost value and importance. Do not underestimate it, and know that it would be better not to hide anything from her." Kenshin nodded. "Should any she come to any harm, both of you will be affected as well. The past itself may one day return to haunt you." 

His amethyst eyes darkened slightly, narrowing. "Katsura-san, are you saying that--?" 

Katsura shook his head wearily. "It is merely a warning. You and I both know what the implications of the past can bring. I can tell you nothing of whether it will come to pass or not, lest it affect your fate." 

Kenshin bowed his head. "I understand." 

"Well, that is all that I had to say. One more thing, you may be having a mission soon, and this will require both you and Kamiya to go undercover. Please ask her to come in; I would like to speak to her in private as well." Kenshin nodded once before he left the room, shutting the shoji door in much the same manner as Kaoru had done earlier. 

Katsura sighed to himself. The burdens of a Seer were indeed great; you could see possible futures, but that did not necessarily mean that you could do anything about it, just know that it would happen. He could not tell the persons involved in the visions either, lest some kind of catastrophe occur. 'I pray it will not come to that.' He thought to himself. Kaoru slipped the shoji door open a minute later, entering alone. 

"Katsura-san? Nan no you desuka?" 

"Kamiya. I must ask you this: how is your relationship with Himura faring?" The point-blank question surprised Kaoru, and she had to blink twice. 

"Relationship?" Had she heard him correctly? 

"Aa." 

She twisted her fingers. "Well, we are more than friends, and I think, _we_ think," She corrected herself. "That in time our relationship may proceed further than that." 

The chief of the Ishinshishi nodded; it was as he hoped then. "What I wish to ask of you now, Kamiya may sound strange, but I hope that you may be able to do this." He paused for effect. "I ask that you be an anchor for Himura, his link to sanity. He has been through many things in his teenage years, and now and again, he may come across something that reminds him of those years. When he does go through those stages, I ask that you stay beside him as a friend, a companion, a lover, and help him pull through them. You will have to be strong for him always, even if there are times when you feel as if there is nothing more that you can do." 

It was Kaoru's turn to nod. "As per your orders sir." She lifted her blue eyes to look at his, and she smiled, a sad, sad smile. "Even if you hadn't asked this of me, I would have carried this out anyway. Now you have given me a reason not to fail in this." 

His sorrowed smile matched hers. "Thank you." 

Kaoru left not long after, leaving Katsura alone in the small room. The cups of tea were no longer steaming. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. 

'So many burdens…so many mishaps…if only…if only…' 

~*~ 

They were walking back to the Black Dawn headquarters in silence, Kaoru walking slightly further ahead while Kenshin lingered behind. The fading weak light of the sun reflected off his hair, turning it slightly orange, even as the streets grew colder. Neither Kaoru or Kenshin had spoken after they had left the Kouka Teahouse, and even the train ride back from Shinjuku had been made in silence, both of them lost in their thoughts. 

"Kaoru." Kenshin's voice made her turn around to face him. His face was shadowed by his red bangs. "Why did you ask such a question?" 

She was using that quiet voice again, and she turned around to face forward. "I needed to know what would happen. If…you know…" 

He hugged her from behind, breathing in her jasmine and vanilla smell. "Don't." His voice was slightly choked with emotion. 

"Don't what?" She whispered, resting back into his embrace. 

"Don't think like that." He pleaded. "Don't think about that." 

"But it's a reality. Something that we may have to face up to." Tears were starting to gather in her eyes. 

He spun her around to face him, gripping her shoulders firmly, but not painfully. "It won't come to that!" His voice softened and he repeated himself. "It won't come to that." 

She smiled sadly and hugged him, burying her face into his neck and his crimson locks. "I pray that it won't." Kenshin held her tightly as he felt a salty tear plop onto his neck. He could make no promises, just as she could make none. True, they were top assassins, but that didn't mean that nothing would ever change, or that they would never get hurt. Kenshin himself knew that better than anyone. 

"I promise you this." He pulled away from the embrace slightly, running a hand down the side of her cheek as he smiled. "No matter what happens, I will always be there for you. If you are ever lost, then I will find you, even if I have to walk to the ends of the earth." He pulled her close again. "This I can promise you." 

Her smile brightened slightly. "Then I will promise you this. No matter what happens, I will always be strong for you. No matter what happens, _I_ will always be there for you. And if _you_ are ever lost," She lifted her eyes to his, blue eyes shining as they met amethyst. "Then _I_ will find you, even if I have to walk to the ends of the earth." 

He smiled a real smile, a true smile, and wiped a tear from her face, then brushed her bangs aside, kissing her forehead. 

"Yakusoku yo." He held out is little finger to her. 

"Yakusoku." She linked her little finger with his. 

As they walked back to the house, hand-in-hand, the fading sun shone on the both of them, illuminating the pair of living, walking angels on earth. 

Dictionary 

Mou! – Kaoru's exclamation when she's exasperated or angry. 

Kouka – Chrysanthemum 

Irrashaimase – Welcome (used in shops and restaurants) 

Ano – erm 

Oro – Kenshin's way of saying 'Huh?' or well, just his own little expression. 

Nan no you desuka? – What's the matter? 

Aa – male informal way of saying 'yes' 

Yakusoku yo – Let's make a promise 

Notes: 

(1) Seer. Mentioned in the earlier chapters of the story. Katsura is a Seer, and has the ability to see possible futures to come. Visions occur to Seers often, but they can never tell whether that particular vision will actually happen or not, or what the certain outcome will be. They are also forbidden to inform the people that they see in their vision what they have seen, otherwise they may alter the fate/s of that person/s life. 

(2) Mind Limbo. It's the place where Kenshin and Kaoru end up if they maintain contact for long periods of time; they usually pop in after the electricity thing has sparked up. Mind Limbo is basically being in both your mind and your HalfSoul's mind at once. 

A/N: @_@ Aaaaaaaaaah! I am so tired! _ School started today, and I ended up doing a ton of stuff, as well as spring-cleaning my room a bit. 3000+ words again. Bit of a sappy chapter, and also XD cryptic hints being dropped, so I hope you enjoyed it. _ Kinda got a bit sad-ish in the end, but well, that's to be expected. I bet you all thought that I would pull that 'a sword needs it's sheath' thing right? XD Hah! ^^;; 'tis different. Well, from now on, it'll take more time to make an update, so you'll just have to be patient, ne? Coz school has started. _ Thanks to all for reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! I **should** be able to update at least once a week. If you're lucky, then there may even be 2 updates in one week, depending on how much work that I've got. Ta~


	15. Chapter 14: Iris

Disclaimer: *hugs Oro-chan* Mine! *Kaoru grabs him* _ Not! *Grabs Ran instead* Miiiiine! *Ken, Youji and Omi grab him* ;_; Not. Get my drift? The song 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls belongs to the artistes themselves, as well as anyone else who might own the rights to it. 

A/N: ;_; I officially hate the ending of Seisouhen, the 2nd OVA for RK. _ It's so darned depressing! *Sniffle* I borrowed it from one of my friends, and then watched it _ noooooooo! That can't happen! *Goes back to normal* Anyway, yes, school has started, and thank goodness some people do read A/N's. Thank goodness the schedule isn't all too hectic yet _ but it will be after mid-term. And **then** I'll be bogged down with accounting projects, and then some. Mwahah~ classes finish at 11.45am! Rox. Aaaaaaanyway…yes, onto the story. More family-esque moments with the Kenshin-gumi, as well as some more WAFF and fluff with Kenshin and Kaoru! ^^ Everyone who's been waiting for Yahiko to call Kaoru 'busu' will have their wish granted now! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Neko Oni – You! Person! XD yay! You finally updated your fic, evil one! ^^;; Haha, don't mind me; I was overjoyed to find that you'd updated. It's great!! Keep on going! XD Kenshin's just being Kenshin, and that's what makes him so sexy! ^^ and the eyes drive everyone up the wall as well! Amber eyes rock! Lol, yes, no privacy whatsoever! ^^ but they'll deal with it somehow; may work out to be better for them even. Mwahah. I have the right huh? ^^ I think I'll exercise it if people start asking me repetitive questions over and over again. XD All ye beware!!! Yup, Ranma ½ is currently showing on a channel on cable called AXN. Think they only have it in Asia though. I live in Malaysia. ^^ We've got quite a few anime shops around in the malls, coz there are quite a few anime and manga fans around, and it doesn't hurt that there's a Kinokuniya (Jap. Book store) about 20 minutes drive away from where I live. XD Nope, doesn't hurt at ALL! Heheh. I regularly borrow anime off my friend ^^ coz he's got quite a large collection, while all I have is well, tiny. Stressed? ^^;;; On the contrary, school this week has been really relaxing so far! ^^;;;; Hahahha, that's coz my classes start at 8 and finish by like, 12! Then I spend the rest of the day rotting away. ^^;;; N e way, thanx for R&Ring girl, and you'd better update both your stories soon! Grrrrah! ^^ Lol see ya round next time! 

Irksome one - ^^ Glad you liked all of 'em! Eh? Footnote? Which footnote? What footnote? 12 isn't supposed to have footnotes. Nvm, just tell me which one it is, and I'll try to sort it out if there's a problem. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again next time! 

Kaoru - =) That's no problem at all. Yup, I have school now. Our summer break is kinda squished, so that we can get all the studying done by December. 3 subjects in six months is kinda tight, so our holidays are short to accomadate that. And I live in good old Asia. Lol, I'd want to pass school too! ^^;;; however, I will try to write as much as I can, so that people don't get left hanging on evil cliffhangers and the sort. Thanks for reviewing and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

Ravyn - ^^ Glad you think that it's fun to read! Hehe ^^;; I'll try to update as much as possible! Thanks so much for reading! See you around in the chapters to come! 

Rogue solus – Naaaaah, that was just the holidays; I wanted to get out as much of the storyline as I could before school started (-_- and now it has), but now my updates are probably gonna be limited to one per week, or at most, 2. _ Homework is a pain in the bum. Glad that you think it's getting better! Hrm…I don't know about that yet, but if he does indeed get an interest in swordsmanship, then you'll see, ne? ^^ As for the ugly thing ^^;;; here it comes! Mwahah XD thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the chapters to come! 

LaurelLeaf – Ooh! Yet another new reviewer! ^^ Welcome to the story, and I'm glad that you like it so far! Thanks for the hara-kiri thing! I'll alter it soon! Hope that you'll continue reading my story, and thanks for R&Ring! 

Rekka's Angel – Cute fluff, no? ^^ Thanks for the compliments! ^^ I try my best! Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll try to update ASAP! 

Dragowolf – Eh, it's alright. ^^ To each their own, ne? Didn't mean to yell at you either. I'm glad you're still reading the story though ^^ Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy this one too, as well as the ones that'll come after it! 

Innocence – No problem! Yeah, the Crucible is boring. But the movie version which Winona Ryder stars in is pretty good o_O if you like the bizarreness of it, that is; we on the other hand were forced to watch it during English. MacBeth is yucky, but Lord of the Flies isn't actually all that bad, in comparison to the other two. I'm glad that you like the idea of how Kaoru is stronger; _ since she always seems to get left out of the action that all the guys are getting. Pooh! Just coz she's a girl don't mean that she can't fight as well (or maybe even better than! XD) the guys ^^ I've only got volumes 18-21 and 24-28, but I've read the translations and watched the TV series. Yeah, 'Mou!' can be used in that context as well, but in this case, Kaoru's just expressing her exasperation and embarrassment. ^^ Heheh I love long reviews. Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you around for the chapters to come! 

Cute Emerald - ^^ Glad you liked it! Heeh XD yesh, quite the cliffhanger indeed. Thanks for R&Ring and I hope to see you around in the chapters to come! 

Flyinangel777 - ^^;; lol, yes, embarrassing situations galore when Kenshin and Kaoru are around each other! I just remembered there's a fic floating somewhere about on ff.net which is about how accidents always seem to happen around Ken and Kaoru, and it's based on the TV series storyline. It's really cute, so you might wanna read that. Weeeeell…as for what will/will not happen to them, ^^ you'll just have to wait and see ne? Glad you liked the ending! My school holidays started on the 7th of June; we only had 5 weeks off, so that's why we started school early. Thanks for R&Ring, and I hope to see you in the chapters to come! 

Moonblossom – Thanks for reading! I'm glad that you like it. This story will definitely keep going, and thanks ^^ I'll need it! See you around in the chapters to come! 

L3al3yanime – o_O Hopefully not! Lol, you'll just have to wait and see, but I probably won't be so evil as to kill them off. ^^;;;; but then again, that's what I did for my Inuyasha fic. Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll update as soon as I can! 

InuYasha22 – o_O Oro? That was considered lime? ^^;;; oh dearie me. Glad you liked the fluffiness of it all! Yup, I'll R&R your story, since you've been nice enough to keep R&Ring mine! It might take a while for me to review though, considering that I may not have as much time on the net as I would like to have, but I will definitely review your fic! Thank **you **for reviewing, and I'll see you in the chapters to come! 

Sharai Darekin – Glad that you're enjoying the story! Misao's code name is Chii, and you can find it in um…chapter 6, when Misao and Aoshi are on a spy mission. It means 'small' in this context. ^^ I'll update as soon as I can and thanks so much for R&Ring!

Dragontamer9741 – Hehen ^^ Glad that you loved it! Lol, XD I can always ask Sou-chan to reach into the 'net and pop up on your monitor screen so HE can see you instead of me! Ahaha ^^;;; I don't know why I say that either, but lol, it sticks ^^ Thanks for R&Ring and see you around soon! 

Dragona – It ain't all THAT bad, but well, it's the work-pile that **really** sucks. I'm quite happy with the subjects that I've got this semester, and the teachers are really nice and all, but whooo~ projects and h/w are sure as hell gonna be el pothole. Thanks for reading, and good luck to you at school too! 

Nicky - ^^ Yesh, of course I will! The way that I write my chapters? O_O what way is that? ^^;;;; if you don't mind me asking of course. Yeah, hope that all that HalfSoul information was understandable ^^;; As for Kaoru and Kenshin…hrrrm…time will tell, that it will. Anyway, thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the next chapter! 

Baka-Ryu – What has Katsura foreseen? _ From the likes of it, nothing good! Ack. Glad that you liked the romance in this chapter! ^^;; Much as Kaoru would like to pummel both Katsura and Takasugi into submission, she can't! lol. Thanks, I just hope that the workload doesn't overload me or something. See you in the next chapter! 

Missaw - ^^;; eeto…it was a train! :p But not like it matters. ^^ I'm glad that you liked it though! I'll try my best to update soon, and thanks for R&Ring! 

Chris – why indeedy. Well, that's basically coz she knows the burdens of being an assassin, and so does Kenshin. They always have to keep training, and they never know when their life will um…end. That's basically what Kaoru's worrying about, and that's why she got so upset. Ah, ^^;;; Kenshin's always hiding something, isn't he? Weeell…maybe they'll find out soon, and maybe they won't! XD Mwaha. Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll try to update ASAP! 

On to the fic! 

Chapter 14: Iris 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Dream scene/telepathy is in _italics_. 

Kenshin and Kaoru returned to Black Dawn Headquarters to find that Soujirou and Sanosuke had started dinner, along with Yahiko's help. They were pleased to find that the boy had indeed accepted both the men as family, and to find that Yahiko was actually laughing and smiling. His healing had indeed begun. Shirking all the unhappy thoughts that they had been having earlier, Kenshin and Kaoru joined in on the fun, shrugging their coats off as they helped out with dinner. Light banter carried on right through dinner, the little family enjoying themselves thoroughly in their newfound members, and happiness. Curious about what Katsura had wanted to talk to Kenshin and Kaoru about, Sanosuke finally asked, chopstick poking out of the side of his mouth. 

"So. What did Katsura talk about anyway?" As blur as Sanosuke could be, even he noticed the change between Kenshin and Kaoru when they had returned from Shinjuku. They seemed to share a closeness that had not been there before, and there were more affectionate glances, adoring touches. 

The said pair glanced at each other, before looking over at Soujirou, Sanosuke and Yahiko on the other side of the table. Kaoru reached for Kenshin's hand under the table, and he squeezed it comfortingly, smiling at her. She smiled back at him, before narrating the conversation that had taken place in the Kouka Teahouse, leaving out the parts of the 'incident' in the train, as well as Kaoru's question to Katsura, and her private conversation with him. 

"Hooo~" Sanosuke leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. "So _that's_ what all the strange stuff was about. I really was starting to wonder whether you two were pulling those stunts accidentally-on-purpose." He smirked. "All the better then. It's out in the open now. I know that I'll be having sleepless nights, coz you'll be making a lot of noise." They glared at him. 

"Ii nan janai no?" Soujirou asked. He was personally happy that there was indeed another who had a connection to his twin, and it just proved that Kenshin would truly do nothing that would hurt Kaoru. 'Kenshin was right when he said that his connection with Kaoru was deeper than to allow him to fool with her.' He regarded his sister's HalfSoul quietly. 'Besides, he doesn't look like the type of guy who would fool around, and Kaoru can be a tough rock to crack sometimes'. "It is, after all, quite useful, and you'd probably be able to go on missions without requiring any communication equipment, and still be able to send mental messages to each other, and even find each other if something happens." Soujirou pointed out. 

"Un!" Kaoru beamed at him. This newfound happiness that she had with Kenshin would prevail, and she wasn't about to stay away from him just because she was afraid that she would lose him in a mission. 'Besides,' she mused. 'He wouldn't let me.' 

_Of course not, koishii. _Her blue eyes turned to meet warm amethyst orbs, and she blushed slightly at the new pet-name he had given her. 

"Ano…" Yahiko spoke up, and the lovebirds looked at him. He put a hand to the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Um…can I have more please?" His rice bowl was empty, and he felt hungrier than he had ever felt in years. Of course, that could be due to the fact that he had never gotten any real food back at the lab where he had been experimented on, just the liquid food that had been fed to him in all those tubes connected to his body. The thought of it made him shudder slightly, and Kaoru noticed this. 

Kaoru smiled as she took the bowl from him. Getting up from the table and walking over to the rice cooker, she spoke over her shoulder as she ladled more rice into his bowl. 

"You know, Yahiko, you don't have to be so polite with us." She looked over her shoulder once, before turning her attention back to the rice. "We are, after all, your family." 

Her acknowledgement of him as family struck a cord deep inside of him; he had indeed, accepted Kaoru as a mother-figure, and Kenshin as a father-figure, but neither of them had ever vocally said that they thought of him as family. Yahiko was comforted by the acknowledgement, and a comforting warmth surrounded him, that had nothing to do with the heaters that were on in the living room. 

"Hai." He replied. He hesitated slightly; how could he make this sound right? "I…I want to thank you for saving me from…from there…and giving me something that I thought I would never have again." His chocolate eyes met Kenshin's, then Kaoru's as she smiled gently at him, then Soujirou's and finally Sanosuke's. Yahiko took a shaky breath before returning his eyes to the table. "I don't know how you ever managed to find me, but all I know is that I'm here now, and I have all of you to thank for it." 

He looked up as Kaoru's hands cupped his face, the way a mother would do the same to her son. "This is what you deserve; this family is what a young boy like you should have." She tapped him on the nose playfully. "You belong to us just as much as we belong to you now. If there's anything that you ever need, all you have to do is ask." 

Her hands left his face as she placed the bowl of rice in front of him, sitting back down in her seat beside Kenshin. Wagging a finger in the young boy's face, she continued, "I've never known a 12-year-old who was so polite." She glanced at Soujirou. "Sou-chan was never as quiet as you when he was your age." 

"Hey!" Soujirou protested. "I resent that!" 

Kaoru flapped her hand at him, dismissing him easily. "Anyway, this family may be the strangest thing that you've ever encountered, but that doesn't mean that you can't act like a normal 12-year-old." She smiled. "And from what I've seen, 12-year-olds don't sit there quiet; they mouth off!" 

Yahiko blinked at her, not quite sure of what she was getting at. "Hai?" 

Kaoru closed her eyes to think, brow furrowing; Kenshin watched on in amusement as his HalfSoul took on the role of a mother-hen. Her eyes snapped open again, idea in hand, and Kenshin's eyebrows rose as he read (1) what she was going to do next. 

"Give me a nick name." Yahiko stared at her. 

"Huh?" Was the blank response. 

"Give me a nick name." She repeated, smiling pleasantly. "Any nick name. A bad nick name, an insulting one, you know?" 

His eyebrows rose, dumbfounded at what she was saying. "Why on earth would you want me to insult you on purpose?" 

"To emphasize to you that you don't have to be so darned polite around us!" She drummed her fingers on the table as she tried to drive her point home. "Families are allowed to tease each other, call each other insulting names, without ever making anyone mad, and sometimes, it's even a form of familiarity." Her fingers stopped drumming on the table, and her index finger lifted to point at him. 

"You, my dear boy, are going to be integrated into this family completely, and that means giving us all nick names. Insulting ones. Ne?" Soujirou grinned at his sister's unorthodox method of trying to make the boy more comfortable with them. 

"Eh?" Yahiko was too surprised. 

"I'll give you an example." Kaoru pointed to Sanosuke. "This is our resident tori-atama." The said man protested, but the smile on his face contradicted him. "Our beloved kappa (2)," Her finger moved to rest on her grinning twin. "And," She tapped Kenshin on the nose. "Our Oro-chan!" 'Or should I say **my** Oro-chan?' 

Kenshin's eyebrow rose in amusement at the new nickname. 'Oro-chan? Where did _that_ come from?' Kaoru's girlish giggle echoed in his mind. "And Saitou-ojisan calls me tanuki-musume sometimes." She frowned momentarily before breaking out into a smile. "But it's alright, 'coz he's just teasing, and it's a family thing. So, I must be something to you too, ne? I don't care what you call me, so you choose a nickname for me." 

Yahiko was rather upset at having to call his saviour names, but Kaoru was being rather adamant about it. He scratched his head in exasperation. "Do I really have to?" She nodded to confirm it. The young Empath grumbled, crossing his arms as he slouched back in his chair. Sanosuke grinned. 'That's more like it; he's finally acting like a spoilt 12-year-old brat now. Jou-chan's methods might be unorthodox, but she sure has ways of making you do stuff.' 

"So, what'll it be, Yahiko-**CHAN**?" She emphasized the suffix on his name as she teased him. 

'CHAN?! I'm not a kid!' Yahiko's 'manly' pride bristled. "Ooooooooooooh, you asked for it, BUSU!" 

Three pairs of eyes blinked. 'Busu?' Was the thought that crossed their minds. Kaoru, on the other hand, was straining a smile. 'Of all the nicknames, he had to call me UGLY! But I did tell him to call me an insulting name after all. His well-being matters more than my face, so I'll bear with it, but ooooooh that boy could second Sanosuke for getting on my nerves!' 

"I accept the nick name, but that doesn't mean that you won't get unrelentlessly teased for yours, YA-HI-KO-**CHAAAAAN**!!" The boy leaped from his chair, and pulled a face at her, grinning boyishly as he ran from the table. 

"Bite me, Busu!!!" Kaoru took off after him brandishing a ladle just as playfully, the table she left behind cracked up into laughter at their crazy antics. 

'And this is how it should be like.' Soujirou mused to himself as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye; Yahiko's and Kaoru's name-calling race had made him laugh so much that his stomach hurt as tears oozed out of his eyes. 

'This is our family.' 

~*~ 

Kenshin looked up from the book he was reading as he heard a soft knock on his open bedroom door. Yahiko was in Sanosuke's room in the moment, and the man was trying to teach him how to play dice; Kenshin had retired to his room after dinner and a hot shower, and had been enjoying a crime thriller when Kaoru knocked on his door. 

Her midnight-black hair that was usually tied up in a ponytail tumbled around her shoulders, whispering across the white turtleneck sweater that she was wearing. The sweater was large enough to cover her hips, but even then, Kenshin could see the signs of the delicate curves underneath. Loose blue pajama bottoms sprinkled with barely noticeable navy blue stars decorated her legs. She leaned against the door slightly, a small smile lighting up her face as her blue eyes twinkled at him. The petite man shoved himself off the window seat that he had been sitting on, going to embrace her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling her nose into the open V-neck of his long-sleeved gray shirt and breathing in his sandalwood smell. 

"Doushita no?" Kenshin's hand stroked over her hair. 

"Betsuni." She breathed. "Just wanted to see if you wanted to go stargazing on the roof." 

He stepped back slightly to look into her eyes. "Stargazing?" 

"Yup. TV says that it's a good night for stargazing tonight, coz it'll be really clear and stuff. It's really beautiful, and you don't get to see them often." She made puppy-dog eyes at him. 

He brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, smiling down at her expectant face; it would give them some quiet time together out of the house, and it had been a long time since he had seen the stars. "Aa." He agreed. "Just let me get a scarf and an extra shirt, then I'll be ready to go." 

Kaoru watched from the door as he shrugged another thicker long-sleeved shirt on, admiring the grace with which he could carry even when doing something as simple as putting on a shirt. 'Yum.' She hid a cheeky grin behind her sleeve as his amused eyes met hers. 

"Let's go." 

~*~ 

The air was chilly, and their breath was illuminated in white puffs in the cold winter night. Kaoru was seated in between the space of Kenshin's knees, toasty warm in his embrace, and her head rested back into the red head's chest. The stars twinkled brightly above them in the silent night, shiny lights blinking in the black curtain of darkness. It was a beautifully clear night, as Kaoru had said earlier, and both of them were enjoying it immensely, despite the biting cold. She smiled as she felt one of Kenshin's hands tangle themselves in her ebony tresses, running his fingers through it easily. 

"Nee, Kenshin?" She closed her eyes to the comforting touch. 

"Nani?" He bent his head to nibble at her ear. 

"Have you ever been star-gazing before?" The nibbling on her ear was rather distracting. 

"Once, a long, long time ago." Fingers brushed against the skin of her neck, lips soon following the path. 

"Really? With who?" Curiousity pricked at her mind. The electric tingles spread through her body. 

Kenshin's mouth lifted from her neck, and he moved her blanket of hair back again, breathing into her hair. He closed his eyes. 'I must tell her sooner or later.' 

"My sister. (3)" Came the answer. His voice was steady enough, but she could feel that the mention of his sibling was making him sad, and there was also a feeling of bitterness that overlapped it. She twisted in her seat to meet her eyes with his. 

"Gomen nasai." Kaoru had no idea why she was apologizing; she didn't even know what had happened to his sister – she didn't even know that he had siblings! – but she felt bad for making him sad. 

He smiled, and it was tinged slightly with sorrow. Kenshin brought one of her hands up to his lips, kissing her dainty fingers. 

"Iie." He replied. "You didn't know." He could practically hear the unspoken question in her mind. _Will you tell me?_ Phantom fingers brushed the surface of his mind, and he reached back to brush against hers. _In time, I will. Please be patient until then, koishii._ She nodded, understanding and respecting the need for privacy, and she would not push him into revealing things that he didn't want to reveal, even though she could easily have done so through their HalfSoul link. Instead, she chose to draw closer to the warmth in his arms, delighting in the embrace. He smiled into her hair, thankful that she didn't pry any further into his past; the pain had dulled some, but it was always there, even if he tried to forget it. 'For once, kami-sama has smiled on me; she is such an understanding woman.' 

_Arigatou, koishii._

They sat there like that, until midnight rolled around, revelling in each other's presence, never speaking, but just feeling, until midnight came around, and the cold became almost unbearable. Kenshin held Kaoru in his arms carefully as he leaped from the roof of the house to the ground, landing gracefully and as easily as a cat would. By the time that they had gotten into the house, it was deathly quiet, for everyone else had, or at least seemed, to have gone to sleep. Sharing a sweet goodnight kiss, the couple parted, going to their separate rooms. 

That night, Kaoru would dream. 

~*~ 

_She opened dark blue eyes to the darkness. She was dreaming again, and she knew it. The difference, however, was that she wasn't dreaming of being in her family's burning dojo all over again. Kaoru blinked; there were two blurring figures in the distance that seemed to be coming closer. As she looked closer, she could see that they were duelling, katana against katana. Her eyes widened as she recognized one of the sparring duo in front of her. _

**And I'd give up forever to touch you **

**Cause I know that you feel me somehow **

**You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be **

**And I don't want to go home right now**

_His crimson hair was loose, flying about him for the most part like a red storm. A few of the red bangs clung to the side of his face because of the sweat. He was breathing heavily as a trickle of blood ran down his face, mingling with the sweat and hair there. Kenshin's eyes were completely amber, and his lips were drawn up into something akin to a ferocious snarl. Anger and desperation were mixed together in his eyes, even as he held the hilt of his katana tightly, knuckles a burning white. The stranger also held a sword, but it was no Japanese katana; but looked like a Chinese sword. Kaoru disliked the man instantly, as his face drew up into a manic grin, the light that danced in his eyes displaying madness, and it told her that he was far from being sane. Blood ran down the side of his left arm, but he took no notice of it. The stranger with the shock of white hair opened his mouth to speak, but although his lips kept moving, there came no sound. She could hear nothing, even as Kenshin himself answered, amber eyes burning; his anger displayed on his face. It was as if the figures in front of her were turned on mute. Kaoru could only watch as the fighters leapt into action again, swords clanging together in the deathly silence, bearing unholy snarls at each other. A sense of dread filled Kaoru's heart as she could only watch the duo engage in their death match. Unbidden tears seemed to fall from Kaoru's eyes as her hand reached out towards Kenshin's back, a silent plea for him unheard. _

**And all I can taste is this moment **

**And all I can breathe is your life **

**Cause sooner or later it's over **

**I just don't want to miss you tonight **

_Kenshin was the first to leap back from the cross of their swords, wincing slightly as a shallow cut on his cheek opened, warning him that his opponent had gotten too close. Kaoru's heart clenched in fear as he reached out to wipe his cheek with the back of his sleeve, and then readjusted his hold on his katana. The stranger charged towards him, sword aiming for his heart, and she ran towards the charging figure, throwing herself in front of Kenshin as she stretched her arms, forming a human shield before him. She braced herself to feel the cold metal snake through her body, but the stranger passed through her completely, sword and all, as if she was a ghost. Kaoru turned quickly to see that Kenshin had stopped his blow, his hand shaking with exertion as the katana's flat side stopped the point of the stranger's sword from going any further. _

**And I don't want the world to see me **

**Cause I don't think that they'd understand **

**When everything's made to be broken **

**I just want you to know who I am **

Back in the real world, Kenshin had awoken to the sound of Kaoru's distressed mental cries in his mind. Her emotions of worry, dread and fear leaked into his mind, and his senses were alert as he threw them out to detect any intruders into the house. He could feel no overbearing presence, and only the familiar auras of Soujirou, Sanosuke and Yahiko, sleeping stood out to him. Kaoru's aura however, was jumping in some never-ending dance as she chased nightmares. 'She's having a nightmare!' He realized. Was she trapped within her father's burning dojo again (4)? He would only know when he reached her. Kenshin rose from his futon quietly, so that he wouldn't wake the sleeping Yahiko beside him, and left his room only to walk to Kaoru's room, and he let himself in; if he was going to force himself to Dreamwalk, he needed to be close to her in order to enter her dream, but he would try to wake her first. His heart twisted worriedly as Kaoru twisted in the blankets atop her futon, and tears ran down her face as her mouth opened in a silent plea, her arms reaching out to something that wasn't there. The soft rasp that came from her lips didn't escape him as he neared her futon. 

"Kenshin! Kenshin!" 

The said red head frowned as he grabbed her hands lightly, holding them in his, and he took up a seat beside her futon. "Kaoru, Kaoru, I'm here." He watched as her brows furrowed, but she did not wake up. It seemed to him that she was entrenched deeply into her dream, so he had no other choice but to Dreamwalk into it to bring her back. He bent down to kiss her cheek as he muttered an apology to her under his breath in advance for entering her dream. Thanking the gods for his strange talent – for once in his life it would actually be useful! (5) – Kenshin's eyes closed as he forced sleep upon himself. 

**And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming **

**Or the moment of truth in your lies **

**When everything seems like the movies **

**Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive **

_Kaoru's fists were white-knuckled as she clenched them, her nails drawing deep enough to make her palms bleed. 'Kami-sama, please tell me that this isn't happening!' Blood spurted from Kenshin's thigh as the white-haired maniac managed to drive another cut to his body. It wasn't as if the grinning psycho didn't have his own share of wounds inflicted onto him by Kenshin, but with each cut that was inflicted onto him, he seemed to gain more strength, and his insanity seemed to grow. Kenshin on the other hand, was growing tired; the cuts all over his body had taken their toll on him, and his movements were slowly, but surely, growing slower. She watched as Kenshin tore off part of his sleeve, wrapping it around the hand on his katana. His eyes narrowed as he brought his katana up to eye-level. The sword swung in an arc as he brought it downwards to his side once again, ready for the white-haired man's next attack. _

_He slid down into a position that oozed his knowledge of Chinese martial arts, sword held in a back-hand grip behind his back, one leg crouched, while the other almost touched the floor in a stretch. Kenshin sank back into a battoujutsu stance himself, back leg straightened, front leg bent, as he gripped his sheathed sword in his left hand, while the right hovered over the hilt of the katana. Kaoru watched on, anticipating their next move. Everything seemed to slow as she watched Kenshin blink, eyes closing and reopening again in the next second. The stranger leapt towards him, clearing the distance between them in two leaps. Kenshin drew his sword, ready to meet the blow that would come, but the man suddenly leapt over him, tucking himself into a forward flip over his head. Kaoru's eyes widened in horror as the grinning maniac plunged his sword through Kenshin's back, blood spurting from his lips as his body convulsed against the pain. _

_The sword was pulled out of his body a moment later and Kenshin collapsed to the ground on his knees, a hand over the wound that gushed blood, as his sword clattered noiselessly on the ground. _

**And I don't want the world to see me **

**Cause I don't think that they'd understand **

**When everything's made to be broken **

**I just want you to know who I am **

_A muffled cry came from Kaoru's lips as she moved to run towards the dying Kenshin in front of her, a pool of blood gathering around his body. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but then a hand gripped her wrist. She turned, only to meet the amethyst eyes of Kenshin, who shook his head slowly. Confusion overcame her as she looked to the fading images of the dying Kenshin and the white-haired man to the Kenshin who had her wrist in a firm, but gentle grip. _

_"Kenshin?" She breathed, afraid to believe what her eyes were seeing. His grip on her wrist loosened as she reached up to brush her trembling fingers over his face and his hair, as if she was blind and trying to make out his features by the sense of touch alone; she needed to touch, to feel, to make sure that he was really there. She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing into his chest in relief. He in turn, linked his arms around her waist, pulling her trembling body closer to his. Kenshin stroked her hair, whispering soft words of reassurement into her ears. "Yokatta…" She breathed into his crimson locks. "Yokatta…" He hooked an arm underneath her knees, bracing the other just above her waist. _

_"Let's go back now." He whispered. She snuggled closer to him in reply. The pair disappeared from the darkness as a pair of red eyes watched them in the distance. _

_The light reflected off the earring in his ear as his lips twisted into a nasty smile. He whispered the words to himself. _

_"I **will** have my revenge, Battousai." Then he too disappeared from the darkness of the dream. _

**I don't want the world to see me **

**Cause I don't think that they'd understand **

**When everything's made to be broken **

**I just want you to know who I am **

"Kaoru." Calloused fingers drifted over her eyelids as the voice called her. "Kaoru, wake up." She opened her eyes to find Kenshin smiling at her, amethyst eyes relieved. He gathered her up into a hug, breathing in the vanilla-jasmine smell. She clung to him like a lifeline, small tears of relief sneaking into his hair. "It was just a dream koishii. Nothing happened, and I'm here now." He pulled away, only to return again to cover her face in sweet kisses, like soft raindrops upon her skin. 

"Kenshin…" She breathed as he rained kisses upon her face. Words failed her, and she had never felt more relieved in her life than now. Kaoru closed her eyes, breathing in his sandalwood scent. _Kami-sama, I thought you were…I thought you were…_ He answered her vocally. 

"Shh, koishii, it's ok now. It was just a dream, a bad dream." He brushed his hand comfortingly over her back. 

Confusion clouded her eyes as she pulled back slightly to meet his eyes. "But, how did you…?" 'How on earth did he get into my dream anyway?' 

Her unspoken question was heard in his mind, and he grinned impishly. "I didn't say this, but I'm a Dreamwalker, and it's one of my abilities. I didn't mention it, because I thought it wasn't really all that important anyway, but for once I'm glad that I was able to dreamwalk into your dream and pull you out of it." 

"Mou!" She tugged on his hair in mock anger. "And you didn't tell me!" She smiled at him as the worry washed itself away. 

The grin returned as he continued to speak. "Can I say that this isn't the first time that I've walked into one of your dreams?" She opened her mouth to ask, but he continued before her question could get out. "It was before I ever met you. I think it was a few days before we actually met, and in your dream, I saved you from a fiery death." 

Kaoru's eyes widened in recognition, and the memory of the dream came back. "Eh? That was you too?" Her fists hit against his chest softly, and she leaned into his embrace. She sighed. "What else are you hiding from me, itoshii? It's not that I don't respect your privacy, but I don't want to be taken by surprise if somebody from your past just pops up out of nowhere." 

His lips met hers briefly before he pulled away to answer her question. "Soon koishii, soon. But for now, you need to go to sleep." Kenshin got up to leave, but the hand on his sleeve made him turn around. 

"Please, Kenshin, just sleep here with me tonight? I don't want to go back to that dream again; I don't want to find you gone." She pleaded with him. He nodded once, sitting down on the floor again beside her futon. Kaoru settled into her futon happily, wrapping her arms around Kenshin's waist. He frowned at her from his seat; how on earth would she sleep like that? Her arms would be numb in the morning. Prying Kaoru's arms off his waist, he made her shift over in the futon, then lay down beside her; he smiled as she immediately nuzzled her head into his chest, sighing contentedly and wrapping her arms around his waist once again. _Sly little thing, you just want my arms around you_. He chuckled at her response. _Yes, my own personal lion to hug!_ Kenshin kissed her forehead once before closing his eyes. 

**I just want you to know who I am **

**I just want you to know who I am **

**I just want you to know who I am **

**I just want you to know who I am **

Sleep claimed her quickly, and her breaths slowed into peaceful sleep; he however, stayed awake, thinking of the white-haired figure that had been in Kaoru's dream. The man had looked too familiar for his liking, and he didn't like the fact that someone from his past had just turned up in Kaoru's dream, and then 'killed' him in front of her eyes. He sighed mentally, and Kaoru cuddled closer to him. He couldn't keep the past away much longer, and would really have to tell her soon. Katsura's probable 'seeing' had already made him wary, and the appearance of the familiar man in Kaoru's dream had made him even more so. It was no use worrying about things like that now though, and Kenshin allowed himself to take comfort from Kaoru's embrace as a light blanket of sleep covered him. 

'Soon…' he promised himself. 'Soon.' 

Dictionary 

Ii nan janai no? – isn't that a good thing? 

Koishii – beloved, darling. Usually men call their girlfriend/wife this pet name. 

Un! – yup! 

Ano – um… 

Hai – yes 

Tori-atama – rooster head/chicken head 

Kappa – a mythical water demon. Found in some Japanese folk stories 

Ojisan – uncle 

Tanuki-musume – racoon girl 

Jou-chan – little miss 

Busu – ugly, hag 

Doushita no? – What's wrong? 

Betsuni – nothing 

Aa – male informal way of saying 'yes'. 

Nee – hey 

Nani – what 

Gomen nasai – I'm sorry. Formal way 

Iie – not at all, no. 

Kami-sama – God 

Arigatou – thank you 

Yokatta – Thank goodness/thank God 

Itoshii – beloved 

Mou! – Kaoru's usual way to express her exasperation 

Notes: 

(1) Read. What I mean here is that Kenshin could see Kaoru's thoughts via the HalfSoul link. 

(2) Eheh~ Borrowed this from sayo-chama's fic, Patchwork Family. ^^;; they called Sou-chan a kappa there, and I couldn't think of anything else, so I used that too! 

(3) O_O Ah. ^^ Yesh Kenshin has a sister. Or rather, _had_ a sister. Any guesses as to who it is? Lol. 

(4) First time Kenshin ever dreamwalked into Kaoru's dream in chapter 3. He 'saved' her from a fiery death. Kaoru was dreaming that her family dojo was burning down around her, but Kenshin got her out of it. 

(5) Kenshin basically thinks that his Dreamwalking ability is pretty useless, but this chapter showed otherwise! XD You probably wouldn't think that it'd be too useful either to go traipsing around in people's dreams, ne? _ Unless you actually _want_ to that is. ^^ 

A/N: Whew! This chapter took forever to write, sorry for taking so long! But I think this 5006 word chapter more than makes up for it! Hrph! Yesh, hints as to Kenshin's past are starting to show up; any guesses on who his sister is, and who the guy in Kaoru's dream is, hmm? ^^ more info shall be showing up in chapters to come, and I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! 

Btw, in the future, I'll try to update at least one chapter a week, but I'm not gonna make any promises, because school could very easily eat up into all my time. So, yeah, there should be one update a week or so, or **if** you're really lucky, 2 at the most. Thanks for R&Ring people, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	16. Chapter 15: Blood in the Rain

Disclaimer: (^^) (^^) Orororororo~ *Kenshin rolls in on a monocycle* Kouri-dono does not own us. *Ran enters as well* Neither does she own us! There, that enough to tell you that I don't own them? _ Much as I would like to own the PS2, I don't so don't sue me! 

A/N: Heylo again peeps! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I'm glad to see you guys back around for more! ^^ Mucho mucho OOCness from Kaoru in this chapter, but well, give her a break, ne? This is [probably] the long-awaited mission for the slave auction thing that Misao and Aoshi were getting information about way back in Chapter 6. New character alert! Young girl, but it's pretty easy to guess who she is. 

I think this chapter has to be rated R, for sexual innuendoes and actions that aren't very nice, along with the blood, angst and darkness. You have been warned! Read at your own risk! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Firenseye – ooh, new reviewer! Glad that you like the story so far, and I hope that you stay around for more! Thanx for R&Ring! 

Neko Oni – Lol ^^ of course you do, since you read the side story! XD I thought it would be interesting if for once, Kaoru tried to make Yahiko actually call her 'busu' instead of the usual way round, hehe; she really can't say that it isn't her fault now! Lol. Ah yes, all the nick names that Kenshin has to go through in my fic. ^^ But Oro-chan is a cute name, no? I lurve WAFF, especially K&K WAFF. XD glad you liked it!! Un, foreshadowing, as the story might turn slightly darker soon due to how the storyline's gonna progress. It **is** a freaky dream, I agree; it doesn't help that things in dreams feel so real either, and you sure get a great shock when you wake up! Yeah, I live in Malaysia, where it's either perpetually hot, or raining, but always, always humid! That's what living on the Equator gets you, I guess. Nah, not really, the translating in sometimes really crappy, but it's better than nothing. AXN and StarWorld at like, the only channels that I watch though, hehe. Ouch, hundred bucks huh? I think the stuff's cheaper over here, but the funny thing is that I've never seen any Ranma stuff, except for the movie around. Yup, only 4 hours! Of classes anyway. But I've got to stay back for my stupid BKA class, and sometimes I'm stuck in school until 5pm or so, and then I get **really** grumpy after that. Yesh XD do update update!! Thanks so much for R&Ring again and see ya 'round girl! 

Nicky – It's no problem at all! ^^ Glad that you enjoy my story so much ne! So you like how Kenshin treats Kaoru huh? ^^ I do too! For once he's not trying to push her away or anything. ^^;;;; hehe… about Aoshi and Misao? Well, they're back again; I've been really busy focusing on the KxK aspect of the story that I've totally neglected the AxM part of it. Yup, Yahiko is very much (sort of) cured. Ah, Kenshin's always so very secretive, but his secrets will come out as the story progresses! XD who is the man indeed? You'll find out as the story goes on, but until then, I'm sure that you can probably guess who it is already ne? I'll try to update ASAP, and thanx for R&Ring! 

Rapyer2986-Malik's Mika – Yeah, Yahiko's all annoying to Kaoru all over again ^^ Happy much? ^^ it's an interesting twist, don't you thing? Haha, for once, she actually **suggested** that he should insult her! *Pokes Oro-chan who waves back* ^^ No problem, read at your own pace! Yeah, I know all about computers having a cold, lol, so I understand ^^ Hope your computer's feeling much better now! *Gives it some medicine* Thanks so much for wishing me luck! I really appreciate it! ^^ Arigatou gozaimasu! I'll update ASAP, kays? ^^ thanks for R&Ring! 

Dragontamer9741 – Wow, I'm glad you like my fic enough to read it so many times ^^. XD it would be really interesting if Sou-chan did indeed do that, hehe! Yup, will definitely update ASAP, and XD 'see' you again next chapter too! 

InuYasha22 – o_O Ororo? Was it really all that depressing? ^^;;; it's just a dream that Kaoru had, and yes, dreams can indeed be quite depressing, but no, Kenshin isn't dead! ^^;;;; Depressing would be my Inuyasha fic ^^;;; Thanks for R&Ring! 

Random Reader-san – not at all ^^ glad to see you once again, but it's not all that great a problem, coz I use dial-up too, and it can be such a pain sometimes. Bard? ^^ lol, can barely imagine myself with some harp, but thanks for the compliment ^^. Yeah, Seisouhen is really heart-wrenching, and I really don't agree with how serious it is. For goodness' sake, Kenshin didn't even say "Oro" once! That just totally deviates from the Kenshin we all know and love. Hah, OOCness there already. A friend of mine pointed that out, and I have to agree with that. Makes for a cruddy ending. Anyways, thanx for R&Ring, and I'll see you soon in the next chapter! 

Chris – Yupyup. Dreamwalking once again, after such a long interval. As for whether the dream was sent to Kaoru or not~ XD is a secret! Lol. Definitely will continue ASAP. Thanks for R&Ring! 

Flyinangel777 – Glad you liked the chapter! XD obviousness alert? Thanks for the compliment ^^ I do try my best after all. Well, by American standards I'm still in high school, doing senior year, before I skip off to university. Not all that different, since I'm following a Canadian programme. Thank you! ^^;; I'll really need the luck in school! Thanks so much for R&Ring, and I'll see you in the next chapter! 

Cute emerald – Yup, Yahiko's back to his normal annoying self :p Definitely! Yahiko deserves to have a family after having suffered so much in that measly lab, and Kenshin & co. are sure to oblige him! 

Baka-Ryu – XD ah yes, fluff is mucho nice ^^ I'll update as soon as I can, and as for identities :p you'll find out soon enough! ^^ hehen~ 

Dragona – Thank you ^^ Yup, sure, go ahead and write your fic (did you get my e-mail?)! After all, I'm not the only one who's written a fic like this, so sure, no problem, go on. ^^ I'd be glad to read it when you've got some stuff on it up! Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll see you around! 

Kaoru – Oro? Acting up is it? ^^ *bokken appears magically* want me to whack it up a bit? ^^ I think it would help ^^;;; 

Sticks – Glad you enjoyed it! Mwahaha ^^ well, identities will be revealed soon enough, but it's pretty obvious already, isn't it? Anyway, thanks for R&Ring, and hope to see you around in the chapters to come! 

Missaw – lol, yesh indeedy. ^^ This sounds evil, but it would be quite fun to go and wreck some havoc on while some of the people in my class are having their nice dreams, considering how totally stuck-up some of them are. Teach them a darned lesson or two about the word RESPECT! Oh well. Thanks for R&Ring girl!

On to the fic! 

Chapter 15: Blood in the rain 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

_I hide my tears in the rain_

**_Letting go of all the pain _**

**_Even as the blood washes away _**

**_Pink stained, blood water, no more clean. _**

**_The guilt, and the deed is here to stay, _**

**_Nothing that can be washed away. _**

Amber eyes squinted in the darkness as other human forms moved around him, trying to keep an eye on the girl who was dressed in a skimpy black mini-skirt and a too-tight white shirt who was currently serving drinks. The strobe lights of the disco reflected off Kenshin's hair as he stood near the wall keeping an eye on both Kaoru and Misao silently. Now and then there would be women dressed scantily trying to chat him up, but one baleful glare from the assassin drove them off easily; he only had eyes for Kaoru. Bodies twisted to the thump of the music on the dance floor, like puppets on a string controlled by an invisible hand. His heartbeat seemed to pulse in time to the music even as it changed, trance to techno in mere seconds. 

Kaoru set down the drinks on the table, beaming at the customers in a fake manner before withdrawing back to the bar. She lifted a hand to wipe the sweat off her brow, then glancing at her watch as she put the tray down. It had just gone past 11pm, but there was still no sign of the slaves or any of the clients who would be there for the slave auction. Kaoru, Kenshin and Misao had been in the disco since 8pm, and had been watching for anyone involved with the slave auction. The 'uniform' she was wearing was way too skimpy for her standards, and the skirt barely even covered her butt; the shirt was even more unmentionable it the way that it clung to her body. She was beginning to get quite irritated with all the leery glances that some of Carousel's patrons were giving her, and it took all her willpower not to reach for the dagger concealed in her boot to threaten them. Kaoru glanced over at Misao who had also gone back to the bar counter to place some orders. The almost unnoticeable shake of Misao's head showed that she too had not seen any of the clientele or 'merchandise' of the slave auction. 

_Still nothing?_ Soujirou was outside with Aoshi, watching for the possible arrival of the guests. _No._ He answered in reply. The cold was starting to seep into his skin after standing around in the wintry March weather for three hours straight. Aoshi had taken to prowling around the area now and then (in human form of course), returning every ten minutes or so; they would have to be on high alert because there were only two of them outside and Sanosuke was back at headquarters with Yahiko. It didn't help that Kaoru and Misao were the ones inside being spies for the mission, even if Kenshin was indeed inside to keep an eye on them. Both of the men were on the edge. Soujirou was no Seer, but there was something that made him feel uneasy about this mission, and the uneasiness was trying to worm its way into his blood. 

Kaoru looked up from the bar as a hand grabbed at her arm not-too-nicely. The hand was attached to an arm with too many tattoos on it, liquid blue ink scratched into the skin. The man had a nasty sneer on his face and too many piercings in his ears and face. 'Kami-sama, yet another one of those junkies again. I _really_ don't need this right now!' 

Her voice dripped ice and disdain as she addressed the man. "Please take your hand off me now, _sir_." 

"What if I don't want to, bitch?" Kaoru wrinkled her nose in distaste as the fumes of alcohol rolled off the man. The glare that she gave him made him back off slightly, but the grip on her arm didn't loosen. 

"Then you'll deal with the goddamn consequences." She threw back acidly. It wasn't often that she got mad, but the man was proverbially putting the icing on the cake by being such an asshole. Kaoru was already pissed off at the mission, disgusted with the tight clothes that she had to wear for the mission, and now this sexually deprived idiot was trying to pull a move on her. Her anger had hit boiling point and she had had more than enough. 

She wrenched her arm out of his grip, turning her back on him while trying to rein in her anger; it wouldn't do to attract attention here, when the operation was supposed to be as covert as possible. The punk reached for her arm again in his drunken stupor. 

"Why you little---!!" Her eyes flashed and she straight-armed the palm of her hand into his chin, knocking his head backwards before kneeing him in the groin. The man collapsed to the ground in a heap, groaning as he clutched at his crotch. 'Never anger an assassin.' Kaoru smirked slightly, unable to help herself, and she stalked away from the bar, going to join Kenshin at the wall he was leaning against. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close to smirk into her hair. 

His eyes sparked in amusement as she curled a lock of his hair around her finger. "Couldn't have done better myself, koishii." Kaoru was no ordinary woman, and although he would have gone to her aid if she had indeed required it, he knew that she was more than capable of handling punks like that. She was, after all, one of the top assassins in Japan, and just because she was his HalfSoul didn't mean that he would belittle her abilities or coddle her like a lovesick puppy. Kenshin was smart enough to know when to butt in and when to let her handle situations on her own; this was one of those situations. Electricity ran up his arm as he tilted her chin up with two fingers to meet her lips in a kiss, all male pride and fondness for his beloved. Kaoru tugged on his hair as she pulled his head closer and smiled as she whispered into his ear. "Glad that you approve, itoshii." 

"Always." Came the reply. 

~*~ 

"Nooooooo!!!" Sanosuke groaned as his game character on the screen once again went down under Yahiko's proficient thumbs on the PS2 console. The Empath, on the other hand whooped with joy as he did a mad dance around the living room. It was the 15th time in a row that Yahiko had beaten Sanosuke; it was amazing how fast the boy had adapted to his environment, and had now taken over as King of the PS2 (which was what Sanosuke had been before Yahiko had beaten him in a series of games in succession). The man sighed as he put down the console, linking his arms behind his head as he let his full body weight sink back into the couch. The grandfather clock near the front door chimed as midnight arrived, signalling that the rest of Black Dawn still had not returned from their mission. 

Takasugi had showed up at the house two days ago, only to proclaim that they had yet another mission, and that Aoshi and Misao would be joining them again. Sanosuke remembered how tense the atmosphere had become when Takasugi had announced that both Kaoru and Misao would be going undercover as waitresses during the span of the mission. One of the Ishinshishi who worked undercover in the disco had already arranged everything, so there wouldn't be any hitches during the mission. Kenshin and Kaoru on the other hand, seemed to be fine about it, but Soujirou, Sanosuke, and even Yahiko had protested against it. 

"Kenshin, stop her!" Yahiko had been very persistent in trying to stop her from going off to such a dangerous mission. The boy knew that Kaoru was indeed skilled as an assassin, but that didn't stop him from worrying, and he was scared, selfish even, that he might lose part of his family after only having found it not so long ago. 

Kaoru had taken him aside then, smiling gently as she explained to him that she would be alright, and that Kenshin would be there as back up if they needed it. "But Kaoru--!!" He protested but she shook her head. "Don't worry Yahiko, I'll be fine! You know that we only do this to save the lives of innocents, just like we saved you." His eyes were downcast as he tried to blink away the tears. "But you could get hurt." He whispered. Kaoru held him in a motherly hug then, whispering comforting words as he tried hard not to cry. 

"I promise I'll come back safe and sound with everyone alright?" Kaoru looked into his face as she held out her little pinky. "Yakusoku yo!" Yahiko rubbed hard at his eyes before sniffing slightly, linking his little finger with hers. 

"You'd better, busu." He grumbled, and was promptly swatted at playfully. 

Sanosuke looked over at the boy now, who seemed to have used up all his energy for the day, and had curled up on the other large couch, asleep. The lanky man smiled slightly at the sight of the boy; Yahiko was more attached to her than he would ever admit, but his actions proved it all. Sanosuke sighed slightly as he lifted his eyes to the ceiling; he hoped the mission was going well. 

~*~ 

_Incoming. They've finally arrived. _Kaoru pulled away from Kenshin's kiss, breathing lightly as Soujirou sent the entire team a mental message. The couple exchanged a hug before pulling apart from each other and going to their respective posts; a mission was a mission, and emotions were _not_ allowed to interfere in them. The red head sank into the darkness again, blending with the shadows there, unseen except for the occasional strobe light that flashed over him as the lights danced furiously in the disco. His amber eyes followed the patrons who had just entered, matching some of the faces with some of the pictures that Takasugi had given them before the mission; the ones in the photographs would have to be taken out tonight. Judging by the haughty looks on their faces, Kenshin could tell that money was not at all a concern for these men, and that pleasure was their only satisfaction. It would have been so easy to just assassinate them under the cover of darkness of the disco and the noise of the people, but they had been told specifically only to kill the men after the auction, so that they might also be able to find the slaves and then save them. 

Misao's sharp green eyes met Kaoru's striking blue as the women picked up trays full of cocktails before trailing behind the men who had just arrived; not too close to be detected, but not too far to lose sight of them. The entrance to the slave auction was so unnoticeable that neither of the girls had even noticed it, until the guard standing near it pushed a few sections of the wall, causing it to swing in against itself, and showing a dark pathway that spiralled downwards, lit only by swinging lights that dangled from the ceiling. The men in front of them passed into the passageway after flashing what looked like an invitation to the guard, before the wall swung close behind them again, looking once again, like an inconspicuous normal wall. Both women walked up to the guard as they held their drinks, giving him fake flirty smiles. 

"And what business do you have?" He arched an eyebrow at the two waitresses. 

Kaoru scanned his mind easily to look for the most appropriate answer that he wanted. "Reiji-san told us to help out." She giggled inanely, acting like a dumb brunette to fool the guard, but she could have gagged herself on the inside. 'Well, I didn't take all those drama classes in high school for nothing, and all the lying that Sou-chan and I had to do when we were gone in the morning during missions sure paid off!' Her acting skills would have put any actress to shame. Misao caught on quickly, batting her eyelashes at the guard. "So please, sir, let us pass, ne?" She sidled closer to the guard to whisper breathily in his ear. "You wouldn't want Reiji-san to get mad now, would you?" The guard gulped, losing his composure at the sound of the disco owner's name; he was someone who had a lot of protection in the underworld, and not following orders often meant the end of your life. He pushed the switches on the wall again and the wall swung open to reveal the dimly lit pathway once again. "Arigatou!" The women tittered before they disappeared into the darkness, winking at the guard before the wall swung shut behind them. 

As soon as the door shut behind them, Misao and Kaoru lost their smiles and a hardened glint entered their eyes. It was time to get down to business and do what they had come for. 

_Commence mission._

~*~ 

Kenshin swiftly dodged and meandered his way in and out of the crowd as he approached the secret door that Kaoru and Misao had gone through. They had agreed beforehand that he would give them fifteen minutes headway before following them so that they would not look as if they knew each other. Once the mission started, they were not to show any signs that they knew each other, and Kaoru would only contact mentally with Kenshin, with no vocal or facial expressions that would show that they were connected. He flicked an invitation card at the guard silently, watching the door open before him. His footsteps seemed to echo all around as he made his way down the winding stairs, leaving the sounds of the disco behind him. Kenshin's shadow flickered against the wall as he descended, and the sound of hushed talking and the clinking of wine glasses reached his ears as he neared the lighted entrance. 

A multitude of voices reached him as he entered the brightly lit room; the state of décor here was definitely more subtle and tasteful in comparison to that of the disco upstairs, and the people, he could tell were more highly-strung and materialistic as the clothes that they wore. Kenshin's eyes darted around, trying to find the two women masquerading as waitresses. He located Kaoru's aura signature easily, finding her offering drinks to a few men who were almost leering at her. Turning his head to the side, he found Misao nearby, also doing the same, surrounded with just as many men. Fifty, sixty, a hundred people perhaps filled the room as he took in its size and the people. There was a stage up near the front, but there was nothing on it. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the stage would be where the slaves would be put on display, and he was loathing every minute of it. 

Humanity was something that these people had deserted a long time ago, pleasure overriding their senses, caring nothing for the suffering of others, and only for their own wealth and pleasure. Kenshin was disgusted at the ki that he was reading off all these people around him; an intense hunger for lust and the need to inflict pain onto others, their thoughts all but projected into their auras. One of the men beside him turned around, smiling as he made polite conversation. 

"Ah, you are a new face here. How did you hear about us?" He wished he could wipe the smile off his face. 

"Here and there." Kenshin's reply was short and curt. 

"What is your preference? I am one of the auctioneers here, and I could offer you a very good bargain, since it is indeed your first time here." The man rubbed his hands together as a dirty smirk lit his face. "A girl? Or a boy? All our merchandise are in very good condition, and they have been tested before being sold. First come, first serve." 

The smile on Kenshin's lips was fake and strained as he regarded the man. "That is very kind of you, but I will have to decline." The man shrugged, then turned away. Movement attributed to Kaoru's ebony hair that had fallen out of the bun she had put it up in caught Kenshin's eye as she moved towards him, away from the throng of men who stared lustily after her. 

"May I offer you a drink sir?" A real smile graced her face as she offered the tray of drinks to Kenshin. _I hope we can get out of here as soon as possible. I hate all the disgusting looks that I'm getting, and I'm going to gut all of them if possible! You can't believe how perverted their minds are! _

"Thank you." He reached for a cocktail, returning her smile. _What I'm reading off their aura is rather distasteful to say the least. This may sound wrong, but killing them is the right thing to do!_ Kenshin drained the glass, set it down on the tray again and reached for another. _I'll be more than prepared when this whole thing is finished._ "Domo." Both of them moved on, never showing any sign of ever knowing each other. 

The slave auction started soon enough, as pompous music started playing in the room, and a man's voice boomed throughout the room from a microphone. "Welcome, one and all to the 17th Slave Auction ever held! The Sanshuu are proud to be the hosts of this glorious event, and welcome you with open arms. Unfortunately, the head of the Sanshuu, Hirutori Nakano is unable to attend today, and he expresses his sincerest apologies, but to make up for his presence, we have sixteen very special slaves here today for you to buy; five of them being new girls, three being new boys, and eight more who are being resold as second hand goods." He smiled at his captivated audience before continuing. "Our second hand goods are much cheaper of course, but they are also more experienced, and are more likely to be able to cater to your pleasures." His hand rested on the nearby podium. "Without further ado, the 17th Slave Auction will now officially begin!" Applause roared from the crowd as the curtains swept open to reveal the backstage. 

Cold fury bit into Kenshin as eight girls and three boys were pulled onto the stage; chains that bound their wrists and feet clanged together as they shuffled onto the stage awkwardly. Their state of undress enraged Kenshin to no end; their 'clothing' comprised of a piece of dirty cloth that barely covered their privates, and the girls' chests were a free-for-all to see. What shocked him, though, was the glazed look in their eyes, as if a veil had been placed over them, cutting them off from the outside world. 'And for a very good reason too.' Kenshin thought grimly to himself. 'They don't even exist in their bodies anymore; they've withdrawn into the recesses of their minds.' 

The auctioneer on stage carried on, smiling gleefully as the men in the crowd started to murmur to each other. "Today we shall be selling the second hand goods first, before building up to our final event of the new slaves." He gestured to the line of slaves who stood silently on the stage, eyes unseeing. "As you can see, they are all of high value, and are experienced. Please feel free to take your pick. Product testing (1) is not allowed, but demonstrations may be carried out if the request is permissible. The starting bids are at 4 million yen; may the highest bidder win! You may collect your goods at the end of the auction. They will be backstage." 

Misao seethed inwardly as the 'guests' around her started bidding for the 'slaves' who were onstage. She could not believe that these people were actually buying and selling humans for the sake of their own pleasure. '"Goods" they said! They are calling human beings "goods"! I've got a mind to go up to the stage right now and give that pathetic excuse for a human being a piece of my mind!' She took a step forward, but Kaoru's mental voice stopped her. _Not yet, Chii. I know how you feel, but we have to verify the location of the 'slaves' first before we go charging in._ Misao protested. _But Bara! Surely you can't just stand still here and watch this go on!_ Her eyes met Kaoru's across the room. The normally gentle and depthless ocean blue eyes had hardened into something akin to glittering sapphires, and Misao knew that she wasn't the only one who felt the same about the situation. _There is nothing we can do, Chii, unless you want to risk endangering them. Let Kagami and Tenken finish the job when this is over._ Misao's nails dug into the tray that she was holding and her knuckles turned white. _Okay. _She consented. _But I'll make them pay if they start doing 'demonstrations' to any of the girls or boys up there._ Kaoru nodded unnoticeably in reply. 

"…And sold to the man in the green top over there for 5.6 million yen!" The auctioneer's little hammer crashed into the podium as he proclaimed the sale. "All the second hand slaves have now been sold; thank you to all those who have bought the goods, and we sincerely hope that you will enjoy them! Now we move on to our main event, and the new slaves will be brought in one by one." He leaned forward over the podium to leer at the audience. "All of the new ones are virgins, so the starting price will be even higher than that of the second hand slaves. The starting bids start at 10 million yen!" Protests started up in the crowd, but he waved at them to be quiet. "Yes, it may be quite a high price, but I assure you, they will be worth it. Let us bring the first new slave in!" 

Two men dragged a girl onto the stage who looked about 14 years old, and who was dressed in a see-through white slip. She couldn't even stand properly, and her head lolled about her shoulders as the two men helped hold her up by her arms. "A beautiful specimen, this one. The man who gets his hands on this one will be a lucky fella! New skin and shapely flesh to break! The effects of the drug will wear off in a few hours, and then you are free to test her out! Or if you wish, you can test her out under the drug's influence!" He winked at the audience lewdly. "I can assure you that it will be an interesting response!"

He grabbed at the girl's arm, pinching the flesh slightly to turn it pink, but not enough to leave a bruise. "What will the bids be?" Uproar ensued as everyone yelled out offers at once, eager to have the girl as his possession. Kenshin gritted his teeth as his hands curled into fists, fighting not to sink a punch into the men who stood nearby and snapping their necks. He had left his katana with Aoshi; he wouldn't even have been allowed into the disco with his katana on, let alone the auction if he had brought it along. The muscles in his arm tensed as he fought to keep his hands at his sides, and kept an impassionate mask on his face. 

The auctioneer's hammer slammed into the podium again to proclaim the sale. "Sold to the man with the blue hair in the back for 35 million yen!" Kenshin's head snapped around at the mention of blue hair (2) and he looked for the man in the roaring crowd. A sigh of relief escaped him as he noted the face. 'Not who I thought it was.' The auction continued to proceed in the same manner, until finally, there was only one more slave left to go. 

"For our last and final sale of the night, we present to you the youngest of the group!" A man dragged a struggling girl dressed in school uniform on stage as the auctioneer continued to speak. "Oh, this fine specimen is very much awake and kicking!" A dirty smirk clouded his face as he grabbed the girl's chin. Dark brown eyes wide with fear regarded him as she looked at the auctioneer and continued to struggle. He turned back to the audience triumphantly. "Would you like a demonstration?" The (almost) unanimous uproar from the crowd determined his answer. The smirk turned into an ugly grin as he slid a hand up her thigh reaching upwards and under her skirt. The girl screamed and he slapped her hard. His hand continued to reach upwards into her skirt, grabbing at the fabric of her underwear and about to yank it downwards when an icy cold voice stopped him. 

"I think you've done quite enough, you sick bastard." Misao's eyes blazed emerald green as she stepped onto the stage, boots echoing on the wood in the silence that ensued after her statement. The auctioneer removed his hand from the girl's skirt, moving towards Misao, leering at the way the uniform emphasized her figure. "Oh? And what do you think you can do about it, little girl?" 

"Make you stop." Her answer was very matter-of-fact as she stood her ground. 

"And exactly how do you intend to do that?" Came the question. 

"I have my ways." Cold anger lead her mind. 

Eyes turned to the second set of footsteps that echoed on the stage as Kaoru stood up as well. The combination of the icy blue gaze and the blazing green one made him slightly weary of the girls. "I will back her up." 

The auctioneer laughed slightly, trying to alleviate the tensioned situation that the two girls seemed to bestow the room with. "Well gentlemen, it looks as though we have gained another two more slaves to sell! Who wants to break their spirits?" Some life seemed to return to the men in the hall at the question, and they started murmuring to themselves. Kenshin's hardened golden eyes regarded the men around him even as he prepared himself to move at any given time; a jump would easily take him to the stage and place him in reach of the auctioneer, Kaoru and Misao, as well as the trembling girl. 

A cold smile lit Kaoru's face as she closed in on the man, every step precise. "It seems that you do not understand your predicament yet." 

"But now you will." 

The hall was suddenly plunged into darkness as Kaoru finished her sentence. Murmurs filled the hall as the men wondered if this was part of the auction as well, but the question was quickly answered by what sounded like the falling of a bloody body to the ground. The auctioneer was no longer alive. Chaos ensued as the men started to panic at the screams of others, and the sound of flesh being torn by metal in the darkness. They could see nothing in the darkness but shadows that seemed to flash by quickly, and bodies falling before them. They started running for the entrance at which they had entered, but only managed to stumble over the bodies of others who had fallen before them, only to be killed in turn as Kenshin guarded the entrance like a silent dragon. The dying screams of his victims could not be heard; the sounds from the disco were much louder and covered all the noise. Back inside the hall, Kaoru swung her katana, cleaving into two men at the same time with a mighty swing. Their dying gurgles caught in their blood as their bodies turned lifeless. She stepped across the room, avoiding the bodies as she made her way towards Aoshi and Soujirou; they could all see well enough in the dark and had been trained to fight blindfolded, which was why they had managed to kill the men without hurting each other. 

The older man slid his both of his kodachi out of a man's body, shaking the blood off before sheathing the short swords. Soujirou finished off his target as well, wiping the blood off his katana with a piece of fabric torn from the man's shirt. Both the men had gotten Kaoru's mental message; she had sent one immediately when Misao had stepped up onto the stage; enough was enough, and they could both kill all the men at the same time that they could save the slaves. Soujirou had caused the blackout easily with his Hex abilities, controlling the computer through a set of wires that they had found, and only cutting the electricity in the downstairs hall, but not in the disco, so that Carousel's patrons carried on partying, oblivious to anything that was going on below it. The pair had entered the hall easily, throwing weapons to their three colleagues, before starting the blood bath in the hall. Kenshin re-entered the hall and the three turned to him as one as he made his way towards them. Amber eyes met three sets of blue in the darkness, and the assassins walked on towards the stage, leaving a piece of paper proclaiming 'Tenchuu' on it, while a black rose rested atop it on the bloody carpet. 

Heaven's Justice had been performed in Japan tonight. 

~*~ 

Misao urged the 'slaves' onwards as she looked for the blue van that was supposed to be waiting outside the disco. While the rest of Black Dawn had been assassinating their targets in the hall, the young ninja had taken the young children outside to meet one of the Ishinshishi contacts who would bring the children to a safe house for the time being. Her muscles tensed slightly as someone stepped out of a dark alleyway, then relaxed as she recognized the navy blue and gray bandana (3) that was wrapped around the person's hand. Following the man while the children trailed on behind her, they soon reached the van which was almost unnoticeable as it blended into the darkness. 

The back door to the van opened, and she coaxed them inside gently. "It's alright now, you'll be safe where you're going, and nothing like that will ever happen to you again." Only three pairs of young eyes locked onto her figure in the darkness; the others were too drugged up, or too far gone to notice. One of the newer girls, a thirteen year old with hazel eyes smiled thankfully at Misao, and hugged the older girl. Misao was too surprised to do anything but return the hug. 

"Arigatou, onee-chan. I won't ever forget you." She pulled away just as easily as she had hugged Misao. The emerald-eyed woman ruffled the teenager's hair slightly. 

"May you be happy where you are going." She said in reply. Little would she know how ironic her answer would be in the near future. 

"We have to leave soon." The man with the blue and gray bandana on his wrist said to Misao from the front of the van. She nodded silently in reply, doing a quick head count on the children in the back of the van. Her blood threatened to turn to ice as she counted only fifteen kids. Then she remembered the girl with the wide frightened eyes. 'Where's the last one? Did I leave her behind? Kami-sama, please let her be ok!' 

"Shit!" She cursed out loud surprising both the man and the 'awake' children. "Just get the van ready to go; there's one more girl who's missing, as soon as I get back, you'd better take off, so just start the engine and lock the doors first! Don't open the door to anyone otherwise!" 

Running back the way that she had come, she was almost back at the disco when she saw Kaoru, Kenshin, Aoshi and Soujirou leaving. A relieved sigh escaped her as she spotted Soujirou holding the unconscious girl in his arms. "Thank kami-sama! I thought that I'd lost her!" She ran ahead as the others followed behind her. "We have got to get her to the van soon, just in case the Bakufu has already got wind of this; the children need to reach the safe house as soon as possible." 

They were just rounding the corner when the explosion occurred. Misao was the closest – 5 yards – to the van, as she was running ahead of the others. It happened without warning; one second the van was there in front of them, engine going quietly, in another second, it had erupted into flames for no unknown reason, exploding shrapnel ripping past them as metal shattered into a million pieces. The blast threw Misao backwards, knocking her unconscious even as Aoshi barely caught and shielded her from the raining shrapnel that cut into his skin. 

Flames from the explosion continued to lick at the van, even as Kaoru threw herself forward with a sobbing cry, trying to reach the children who were no longer there, no longer alive, as Kenshin held her back in a firm grip. Soujirou looked away with a pained expression on his face, cradling the young girl close to him. The uneasiness that he had felt earlier during the night had so very unfortunately been proved in such a sorrowful manner. 

The only survivor among the sixteen that would have been saved. 

Aoshi adjusted his hold on Misao as he slid the two kodachi into the belt that wrapped around his hips. Guilt and sorrow and pain twisted in his heart as he hefted Misao into his arms. It wasn't meant to be like this. They had not been able to fulfil the mission; how could they have when they had only saved one when they should have saved all of them? How could they answer to Katsura now? 

The sound of sirens nearing made the men move out of their stupor, and they took to the rooftops of nearby buildings, making their way home as they carried the respective women. 

~*~ 

Somewhere along the trip home, it had started to drizzle slightly, and the drops of water on Misao's face made her wake up. For a moment, she was disorientated, but then all the memories came crashing back, and she remembered the van blowing up. She shifted in Aoshi's arms slightly, trying to curl up on herself as guilt bit into her mind. If only she hadn't asked them to get into the van; if only she hadn't left them there all alone; if only she had spotted something wrong with the van; oh, if only, if only, if only…! Her thoughts were cut short as Aoshi stopped, and she noticed that they were back at Black Dawn headquarters again. She stepped gingerly onto the ground, trying to regain her balance after the blast. The front door opened and Sanosuke stared at them. It was clear that something had indeed gone wrong from the dejected way that none of them would meet his eyes, and Soujirou handed a girl over to him before disappearing into the backyard silently. Kenshin was still carrying Kaoru, and his jaw was hard-set; lips drawn into a thin line even as she stayed in his arms, eyes open and staring, body limp. 

"What happened?" The spiky-haired man whispered into the uncomfortable silence. 

"We failed." His dark brown eyes flicked to Kaoru as she answered his question in a shaky voice. "Someone sabotaged the van that was supposed to take the children to the safe house, and it blew up with the children and the driver inside it. The girl that you hold in your arms now is the only survivor; she wasn't in the van when it exploded." 

"Oh. Shit." It was a total understatement and all of them knew it. 

The group stood there for a moment before Misao spoke up in a small voice, her bangs covering her eyes. "I just…need to be by myself for a while." She took off down the pathway leading away from the house be herself. Aoshi looked at them before he too, followed the girl, disappearing from their sight in seconds. 

"Sanosuke, would you please take care of that girl for now? I just want to stay outside in the rain for a moment." Kenshin let her down onto the ground as she shifted in his arms, and turned her back on him. "If Yahiko wakes up, just let him know that I kept his promise ne? I just need to be out here in the rain right now." He nodded in silence as he disappeared into the house with the girl in his arms, leaving the front door slightly ajar so that they would be able to come in later, leaving the couple outside in silence. Sanosuke knew when to leave well enough alone, and this was one of the times when he would just let her be. 

Kenshin reached for her as she spoke. "Aren't you going inside too?" Her voice was a soft murmur in the rain. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around gently. "No." He answered softly. "I need to be in the rain too." 

As if his sentence was the breaking barrier that had held back all her emotions, she grabbed fistfuls of his black sweater and buried her head into it, small body shaking with sobs as the slight drizzle turned into heavy drops of rain that drenched them instantly, washing away the blood that stained them, rosy pink water trickling down as rainwater eased it away. Kenshin held her close as the rain continued to fall, running a soothing hand down her back as he whispered softly into her ear. 

"Cry it all out, koishii. Cry all you want until you feel better." She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into the drenched sweater as her shoulders continued to heave with her sobs. "I'll share in your pain." He could feel his heart squeeze tightly as her emotions boiled over, slamming into his consciousness like a bullet train. Yet, he held on to it, to their link, allowing the pain and sorrow and guilt to wash over him; he felt as she felt. 

Allowing their tears to mingle together in the rain, even when the guilt couldn't be washed away. 

Dictionary 

Kami-sama – God 

Koishii – beloved (what men say to women) 

Itoshii – beloved (what women say to men) 

Yakusoku – promise 

Busu – ugly, hag 

Arigatou – thank you 

Ki – aura 

Domo – something akin to thank you 

Sanshuu – literally means '3 colours'. Name of a yakuza group in my fic. 

Chii – literally 'small'. Misao's codename. 

Bara – Rose. Kaoru's codename. 

Kagami – Mirror. Aoshi's codename. 

Tenken – Sword of the Heavens. Soujirou's codename. 

Notes: 

(1) Product testing. This is sick, but what is meant here is like, sexual intercourse and the like. 

(2) Dun-dun-dun. Something/someone else from Kenshin's past! Or not. 

(3) Blue and gray are the Ishinshishi's official colours. 

A/N: _ Meh. A rather dark, angsty and depressing chapter, so let me say sorry! Woo…very large chapter again, 6459 words, so I hope that satisfies you until my next update. There was a bit more Misao spotlight this time round, so urm, hope that it kind of makes up for my neglecting Aoshi and Misao for the last couple of chapters! More AxM in the next chapter, so never fear! Thanks to all for R&Ring, and I'll see ya'll in the next update! 


	17. Chapter 16: Dealing with the Pain

Disclaimer: I patent the word "Oro!" *gets hit in the head with a pillow and glares* Or not. 

A/N: 1000 apologies for such a very angsty last chapter, ne? _ gomen kudasai! This one will be way more light-hearted, so I hope that makes up for all the blood and dark that was the last chapter. Mucho OOCness again, and you have been warned! A chapter that is not KxK centered! Angst galore, more AxM bits, and Tsubame wakes up! Dun-dun; Sanosuke's past comes clean (o_O and he's actually giving advice!)! 

Reviewers' Space! 

KeNsHiN – Glad that you like it so far! Yup, definitely gonna continue this story. I'll try to update ASAP, but that depends on my schedule. Thanks for R&Ring and see you around in chapters to come! 

InuYasha22 - ^^;; Ah, gomen. This chapter is less depressing! Hope you enjoy it! 

Neko Oni – Yeah, loooong chapter that was; double, or even triple the usual _ Mission chapters take up a lot of space ^^;;; that's the trend that I'm beginning to see! Hehe, not that it's a bad thing though; on the contrary, it's probably a good thing! Yup, angst and dark stuff are my flavour too, but fluffy stuff makes me go all "aaawwww" and stuff. ^^ Yeah, Kaoru can definitely hold her own! Time that Kenshin respects that and doesn't go charging in to save her as if she's some damsel in distress, coz I really think that she's not! XD far, FAAAAAAAR from it in this fic too! _ I doubt that she'd be an assassin if she was a damsel in distress in the first place *grin* 

Yeah, Misao got some action as well ^^;;; since there was close to nothing in the last couple of chapters about her and Aoshi, so there's more focus on her in this one to make up for that. ;_; it sucks that the kids died, _ I'm feeling guilty for doing that, but well, as you say, not every mission can go well, ne? Ah, blue-haired guy? XD Mwahahahah~ all in due time, my pretty, all in due time. 

Downloading WK huh? XD yesh! Another fan added to the list, hehehehe XD the animation in the first half is pretty good, but have ta warn you that it gets pretty crappy after the second half/close to the end. ^^ Yesh, I do know that it's my fault *smiles innocently* I seem to have a habit of getting people addicted to manga and anime and what not. ^^ I got one of my pet bros addicted to Love Hina just because I suggested that he read it, and he's totally glued onto it now XD Yesh, I am mucho evilness. Thanks for R&Ring girl, and looking forward to hearing from you again soon! XD update, update!!! 

Irksome one – Really? You think so? XD thanks! I use spell check and grammar check on Microsoft word, and I also reread what I write just so that I can glean out careless errors and what not ^^ Hehe, glad someone recognizes my efforts! Lol. I can't stand stories where the grammar is totally cruddy and punctuation is all over the place either. o_O wow, one of the reasons why you like my fic is coz of the grammar? ^^ If everyone was like you then I'd be having a ton of people liking my fic! XD Anyway, thanx for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Rogue solus – Who indeed did the deed hmm? Ah, you'll find out soon enough _ hope that it wasn't too sad and depressing _ Yup, they are all in a better place I guess. Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for R&Ring and see ya round next time! 

Cute Emerald – Yup, ^^; finally updated! Just check back once a week or so; I'll probably only post up chapters during the weekends, coz I'm just way too busy during weekdays to have finished them up. Yesh, more Misao and Aoshi coming up, so ^^ enjoy! 

Ana – Ah, a new reviewer; hihi! Glad that you're loving the story so far, and I'll do as much as I possibly can! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Amanda H. – It's no problem at all! ^^ Welcome back to the story anyway. Glad that you're still reading it! XD (I have fans! Lol j/k) Yeah, by the looks of things, this fic is probably gonna end up with 20+ chapters, if not 30; time will tell! _ I definitely hope that I don't get writer's block too! Thanks for R&Ring and see you around! 

Baka-Ryu - _ Sick isn't it? Well, product testing was just _ totally ergh to right, but I'd already figured that I'd write an angsty chapter. Yup, will try to do as much as I can and I'll definitely keep writing, so keep reading, ne? Thanks for R&Ring and see ya next time! 

Eeevee – Ooh, a new RK fanfic reader? ^^ Kewl. o_O wow up till 3am reading my story? ^^;;; I feel so loved, haha. XD glad all the Japanese is indeed of some use to you, hehe; Yahiko sure is less irritating in this fic for certain reasons ^^ I like him better this way too. Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the chapters to come! 

Dragona 2007 – Thankees! I'll try to update ASAP! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Dragontamer9741 – Wow o_O you're the first person who reviewed who hasn't said anything about the last chapter being depressing or too angsty. ^^ Glad that you like it though, and yeah, Yahiko *is* the king of PS2 in the house! XD thanks so much for R&Ring and please keep reading! 

Chris – lol, I should officially name you the guy who hits the nail on the head everytime with questions that everyone wants to know the answers to, ne? There **is** indeed a hint in the last chapter that may have given it away, but well, you'll sure find out soon enough, ne? Thanks so much for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

Flyinangel777 – Yeah, really freaky chapter that was. It was Tsubame, Megumi will definitely show up in the next one or two chapters. Thanks for the compliment! ^^ I try my best to write as well as I can! Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the next chapter ne! 

Missaw – It would serve all those people right too! Mm… I know that the last chapter was rather depressing _ but it shouldn't get too depressing for a while now (unless the fic decides to go and wave bye-bye at me!) Glad that you loved it though! Yup, will definitely update ASAP! Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next chapter girl! 

Kaoru – Ooh, did you get your computer fixed then? Kewl. _ Yeah, I know it was pretty depressing, but I was kinda in a funny state of mind (and was re-reading Linay's Broken Pieces while I was writing it). OVA 2 is waaaaaay depressing, and I absolutely refuse to go along with that ending! I'm not much of a Tomoe fan either, but I would watch it if I could get my paws on it, just to see Kenshin! XD _ Yup, everyone's dead _ well almost everyone. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again next chapter! 

Trickster - ^^;;; Lol, you're right, way more than a 'bit' dark and angsty, but understatements are mucho my thing! Yup, it's Tsubame alright! _ feel terrible that I made something like that happen to her, but well, can't just leave Yahiko all alone in the house without another kid around his age, ne? Thanks so much for R&Ring and hope to see you around in the chapters to come! 

Nicky – Yeah, it sucked that those kids had to die ne? _ but it had to happen coz it's kinda the appetizer to whatever is gonna show up next. Yup, it's Tsubame alright, but she'll be mucho ok now. Mmm… yesh, have to do something with Sou; poor boy can't be all alone all the time now, can he? Absolutely not! It **is** depressing to have accomplished a mission, only to find out that the very people that you saved are (excuse the phrase) blown to smithereens right in front of your eyes. =) Thank you! I do try my best to write as well as I possibly can ^^ Yup, I'll try to update ASAP! Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll see you around in the next chapter! 

More AUness! 

Chapter 16: Dealing with the pain 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

_I never intended to lie_

**_But irony works against me _**

**_And the gift that I had wanted to give them. _**

**_Sweet is the smell of death _**

**_Sour is the smell of misery. _**

**_God save me, for I have sinned. – Makimachi Misao _**

****

**_The overwhelming feeling of helplessness _**

**_Something that I thought I would never feel again _**

**_But fate plays its hand _**

**_And once again I fall, proven wrong. _**

**_Must the blood of innocents be spilt _**

**_To show us our arrogance? – Kamiya Soujirou _**

"Misao!" She continued to plod ahead through the rain, stumbling over small pebbles in the pathway. Even the rain seemed to torture her, driving forces of tiny daggers cutting into the waitress uniform that she was still wearing. 

"Misao!" Aoshi was a few steps behind her as he reached for her shoulder. This was fast getting nowhere; Aoshi tried again. "Misao, would you please just stop?" His grip on her shoulder was firm but gentle, and she stopped walking, coming to a standstill even as the rain continued to pour down against the dark sky as thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed in the sky, painting the very picture of her roiling emotions. 

"Please leave me alone, Aoshi-sama." She was defeated, she had failed, and she hadn't been able to do anything. Misao could feel the pain ripping through her soul, shearing it apart as if it was a fragile sheet of paper, and the shreds were fluttering, spiralling downwards to some inner abyss that was bottomless. The guilt threatened to crush her small bones, overwhelming in its entirety. She shut her eyes against the rain, lifting her head up to embrace the thick droplets as they spiked into her face, mingling with the salty tears that ran from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks. Warmth flowed from the hand that was on her shoulder into her body. 'Something that I do not deserve.' 

"That is something that I cannot do, Misao." His voice was quiet, cutting through the roar of the rain. The voice softened, deviating from its normal coldness for her. "There was nothing that you could do, Misao." Even as he said the words, he could feel her shoulder stiffen under his hand, and she whipped around, face twisted into pain and anguish; her long braid snapped hard into his leg as she whirled around to face him. 

"How can you say that? How can you say that I couldn't have helped them? If I hadn't left them there, if I hadn't asked them to get into the van, then they wouldn't have died!" Her fingers curled around the collar of her shirt, twisting into the white fabric that was almost transparent in the rain. Green eyes ridden with pain and guilt stared at the ground blankly. Misao's voice died down to a barely audible whisper. "I lied to them, Aoshi-sama. I told them that they would be safe, but I lied!" The sharp bark of bitter laughter from her throat frightened Aoshi. "I'm such a pathetic liar! 'May you be happy where you are going' I said; are they happy now? Are they happier that they are no longer in this world now?! How could I have lied to them?!" She sank into a crouch on the pathway, and her fisted hands beat into the hard ground, drawing blood where she hit the small stones. 

"Misao…" The okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu was at a loss for words. The sight of the once ever-genki young ninja was reduced to this, a sobbing young woman who held the weight of the world in her hands, ridden with guilt, believing that she had been at fault for the lives of fifteen young ones along with a grown man. This was one of the reasons why he had been so reluctant to let her go on the mission, why he had not wanted her to be there at all. 

But fate had its way of playing its twisted games. 

And here they stood now, like broken toys in the rain, having to deal with the guilt and the loss and the pain. Aoshi hadn't wanted this for her, hadn't wanted her to go through what he had to suffer as an assassin; **he** should have been the only one to be burdened by the guilt, **he** should have been the only one to linger in the pain, **he** should be the only one who feels responsible for those that he had killed, and those that he couldn't save. 

Not her. Never her. 

'It's too late for that now.' She could no longer go back to the innocence of being unrelated to such violence, could no longer return to times where ignorance was bliss. 

"Please Misao, please stop torturing yourself!" The okashira's voice was pleading; he couldn't bear to see the woman he loved suffering like this. 

"Don't you understand?! **Don't you understand?!**" Anguished emerald clashed with pleading blue as their eyes met. "**I killed them!!**" Her bangs plastered themselves to her cheeks and forehead as her head kissed the pebbly ground. "I killed them." She repeated. _That_ snapped Aoshi out of his shocked stupor and he knelt down in front of her, grabbing her arms and shaking her slightly. 

"You did no such thing, Misao. You did **not** kill them! It was **not** your fault!" Some of the angst seemed to go out of her eyes as she stared at him, shocked that he would take off the icy mask that he hid behind for _her_. Then the hooded look was back over her eyes once again, and he could practically see the barriers slam up between them. 'Is this what I do to her?' He wondered to himself. 'Is this how I treat her?' He was finally getting a taste of his own medicine; the hard way. 

"But it is." She continued to avoid his eyes, looking at anywhere but him. She hated herself right now; for being so naïve, to think that salvation for the children had come so easily, that they would be in safe hands. "I was so stupid." Misao berated herself in a bare whisper. "I should have noticed something was wrong, I should have seen anything, even a sign!" Her hands fisted into the ground, palms digging into the rough surface. The tears fell faster. "How could I have been so stupid!!" 

"If that's what you're blaming yourself for, then we're all guilty of the same thing. We are all seasoned assassins, and we are trained to notice the slightest twinge of wrongness and then back off from the mission if we do." 'Please look at me, Misao.' He implored silently. 'Please just look at me.' "And yet we did not. How then, can this be your fault? How then, can you call yourself stupid?" 

She didn't want to understand; wanted to take the responsibility of it all onto her small shoulders, refusing to let anyone else take the burden. It was because of this that she said words that she didn't mean and regretted them the instant that they left her mouth. Her eyes flashed and she snarled at him, emotions clouding her sharp sense of thinking and ruling her mouth. 

"What would you understand about it?!" 

Realization hit her like a pile of bricks as she saw him stiffen slightly and the muscles in his jaw twitched; she shouldn't have said that. The uncomfortable silence lingered in the space between them as rain dripped off them to add to the many puddles on the ground. Just when the green-eyed girl was about to apologize, Aoshi began to speak in a calm, collected voice. 

"I understand more than you would ever know." Startled out of the apology that she had been about to make, her green eyes turned to his face, and she saw that his blue eyes were a dark navy musk, so dark it was almost black, and he was lost in the depths of memories. "I understand all too much what it feels like to take someone's life, when you see the flicker of life leave their eyes and how the blood splatters against your face. I understand much too much about how sane people can be turned into sadistic maniacs; I understand too much how each and every victim of violence is fighting for their life everyday." His eyes turned to meet hers finally, his voice dying down to a soft whisper. 

"And most of all, I understand what it feels like to fail the ones who you were meant to protect, and the guilt and self-hate that comes along with it." 

Her tears fell again, joining the liquid that streamed down her face, and she buried her head into his chest, fingers fisting into the black fabric as she cried. Misao's voice was muffled as she repeated the words over and over again. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm sorry." His hands left the grip on her arms, and one of them wrapped around her waist, pulling her small body closer to him, the other stroked through her wet hair, offering small comfort. The rain slowed to a drizzle as exhaustion caught up with her, and slowly but surely, she fell asleep in his arms, slumping forward in his chest. 

His blue eyes were soft as he regarded the sleeping girl. 

"There is nothing to forgive." 

~*~ 

He hid his face within the crook of his arms even as he curled into a smaller ball on the tree branch that he was on. Rain pitter-pattered through the cover of the leaves, slipping like dewdrops onto his clothes and skin. Soujirou made no sound even as he suffered from the guilt that weighed heavy in his heart, and his mind kept on replaying the scene of the explosion. No tears touched his face; he kept all emotion locked up tight inside, only occasionally allowing happiness, anger and compassion through. Pain, however, was another issue. He refused to let it out and he refused to express it. A long time ago when his mother had died, he had promised himself that he wouldn't cry anymore, and that he would always keep a smile on his face for Kaoru no matter what. Fourteen years and counting; it was hard smiling all the time, but he felt that it was necessary, to remind himself of the other things that were always swirling around in his mind; to remind himself that he was after all just a boy-turned-man. 

This time around, however, he was finding it hard to keep the smile on his face. It was the first time that they had ever failed a mission, and it was a hard blow to his soul. How was it possible to alleviate the guilt that you felt when the fifteen people you were responsible for just up and died in an explosion right in front of your eyes? And how was it possible to not feel responsible for it when you had felt that there was something was wrong with the mission, but had done nothing about it? 

How could you keep smiling then? 

It had been so long since he had felt like this; eight years ago to be precise. The night that his (and Kaoru's) father had died. It was that same feeling of helplessness and bitter anger aimed at oneself when nothing could have been done to save the ones that you loved, and that you needed to protect. Lives had been snuffed out in mere seconds, and he had been able to do nothing other than stand by and watch as they died. 'Why didn't I heed my senses? Why didn't I listen?' He questioned himself angrily. Another part of his mind retorted in the same manner. 'And what would you have done? Pulled out of the mission? Then those men would surely have had their way with the children. Would you have preferred that they lived instead, only to suffer?' 

'No!' He shook his head vehemently in response and his cheeks rubbed against the damp fabric of his turtleneck sleeves. 'But they did not have to die that way!' The ocean-eyed man's fingers tightened on his knees as he tried to seek refuge from the overwhelming emotions. "Why am I so helpless?" He whispered brokenly. "Why couldn't I help them?" His knuckles showed white as he gripped on tighter. "Why couldn't I help them?" Repetition served as no answer. 

"You and I damn well know that this is no fault of yours, and neither is it the fault of jou-chan, Kenshin, the Iceman or the itachi-musume." Soujirou's head jerked up from the crook of his arms as the voice invaded his space. He had been so engrossed with his own thoughts that he had failed to notice that Sanosuke had walked up to the tree that he was in, and was now currently standing with his back against the rough bark through the slow drizzle of the rain. The tall man's eyes were closed, brow furrowed slightly in thought. The rain pattered on the leaves, every drop audible in the momentary silence. 

"I wasn't there tonight, but I think I can understand what you're going through right now." His eyelids slid open, and for once, his brown eyes held a very serious light in them; Soujirou could not see this, but Sanosuke's quiet voice proved this. He kept silent, eyes unblinking in the dusk already turning to dawn as the older man continued. 

"It was a similar situation that led me to the path that I am on now. You know that I once told you I was in a gang that fought for the people before Katsura-san found me right? (1) But I never told you the reasons as to why I ended up here." He paused for a second before going on again. "All of us in Black Dawn respect the need for privacy, and for as long as I've known you and Kaoru and even Iceman, and now Kenshin, you've never once asked me about my past. Now though, I think is the time to let you know that I thank you for giving me a choice of privacy, and I want to tell you a story; my story, that reflects something much like what happened tonight." 

His eyelids slid over his eyes again in reminiscence. "I used to be like Yahiko, just a kid on the streets with no last name, parents deceased, and left to fend for myself in such dangerous and needy times. I was way more fortunate than the kid was though, coz I didn't have any paranormal abilities then, and wasn't used as a target (2). It was a tough life on the streets; I was a pickpocket sometimes, but more often than not, I used to rummage through the garbage bins, searching for leftover food that I could survive on. One day though, everything changed." 

"It was one of those cold winter days, and there I was shivering like a leaf; there had been nothing edible in the trash, and so I had to resort to pick-pocketing for the day if I wanted to survive through the night. The cold made me sloppy however, and the guy I was pick-pocketing saw what I was doing. I was terrified then, but as he made to hit me, someone stopped him. This man was none other than Sagara Souzou, the head of the Sekihoutai. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Sekihoutai were something akin to a modern-age Robin Hood and his gang; stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. My last name was also taken from Sagara-taichou's name; my way of keeping his memory alive." 

Soujirou kept his silence, contemplating what Sanosuke was saying, even as the man continued to speak. "I joined the Sekihoutai then, and for five years, enjoyed being part of the group, always helping out on raids, but being kept away from the more dangerous matters. It was the closest thing that I had to a family back then. I was the youngest there, along with another boy, Katsu, and both of us looked up to Sagara-taichou as a father figure. He had given us the gift of life, and had taught us well how to appreciate what we had, to be satisfied with the hand that fate dealt us, and to always help others who were less fortunate." 

"Fate that was so kind, however, turned cruel one day." Sadness tinged his voice and Soujirou's eyes widened slightly as he felt a flicker of heavy guilt come through in the older man's ki before it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. 

"Some of the yakuza found our headquarters, and they attacked so suddenly that half our group was down before we even understood what was going on. Katsu and I wanted to join in the fight too, but Sagara-taichou pushed us into a trapdoor and then locked us in, refusing to allow us to fight. We were furious, of course, but also feared for taichou's life." His eyes closed, haunted by the pain. 

Soujirou interrupted for the first time since Sanosuke had started recollecting his past. "Sanosuke, this is hurting you; you don't have to tell me this." His voice was soft in the darkness. Dark brown eyes cleared as he shook his head, sending raindrops splattering into his surroundings. 

"No." He responded firmly. "I don't have to, but I want to tell you." He grinned suddenly. "So shut up, kappa and listen." The younger man smiled weakly at the nickname. 

"The fight roared on above the trapdoor that was locked; we couldn't see shit-all but we heard everything. I could hear the thump of bodies on the floor, and the gunshots going off. It took forever to get out of that fucking trapdoor, but by the time we got out of it, the surprise attack was over." He paused for a second before continuing again. "It was the most horrible sight that I had ever seen. The place was literally drenched in blood. Bullet holes were ridden into the walls. There were dead bodies everywhere and each and every member of our group was dead. That wasn't the icing on the cake though." A grim tone entered his voice. "Sagara-taichou's head was adorned on a pole for all to see. I felt so helpless then. I hated myself because I hadn't been able to help, and I was so blinded with anger that all I could think about was revenge for his death; revenge for all their deaths. No words can explain the emotions that I felt back then." 

"What happened?" Soujirou was sucked into the story, forgetting for the moment, his own guilt and anger. 

"For two years, Katsu and I wandered through the underworld, as fighters-for-hire, trying to find the group that had massacred the rest of the Sekihoutai, closing off all our emotions except for anger and hate. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hated everyone then. I hated how other people were alive, while Sagara-taichou was dead, I hated the government for allowing such criminals to exist while they just sat back and did nothing about it. But most of all, I hated myself. I hated myself for being so weak and for being unable to help them. So I fought to grow stronger. My sanity was gradually being eaten away, and there was nothing that could stop it." 

"But Katsura-san found me one day and asked me to join the Ishinshishi. To help others. I couldn't find it in myself to help others when there had been no one there to help us when the Sekihoutai was destroyed, and I was severely pissed. Where had they been when I needed them? I was shocked at how much he knew about my past, but I flatly refused him and walked away from the offer. He refused to give up, and slowly but surely, Katsu and I were able to regain our hold on sanity, and finally, we decided that we would indeed work for him. When I was 17, I left the underworld behind and joined the Ishinshishi, and here is where I am now." 

"What I guess I'm trying to say here is that you have to understand that it was not your fault that those kids died. No matter what you say, there was no way that any of us would have been able to see that coming because it was so unexpected. Even if you beat yourself up over the issue, those kids sure ain't coming back." Soujirou wanted to protest and the blatant tone in Sanosuke's statement. 

"But if you really want to put those regrets behind you, then look forward, to where you can make amends. Not back into the past where everything has already been set in stone. You may not have been able to save the ones that were lost, but you _will_ be able to save the ones who will need your help in the times to come." The taller man pushed himself off of the bark on the tree, brushing the invisible lint off the back of his sweatpants. "And that, was what I really wanted to say. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back inside before I start freezing out here." His shoes crunched on the ground as he made his way back to the house, leaving Soujirou alone in the tree once again. 

His blue eyes were wide as he contemplated Sanosuke's words in his mind. For someone who seemed to goof around so often, he sure gave good advice when it was required. Sano's talk had brushed away some of the guilt and self-hate that Soujirou had felt over the night, and it was nice to be free of the weight that had been bearing down on him earlier. Sanosuke's words echoed in his ears once again. 

"If you really want to put those regrets behind you, then look forward, to where you can make amends." 

Soujirou stood up on the branch slowly, trying to bring some vigour back into his joints which had gone stiff after being held in one position for so long. He hopped off the branch, landing easily on the ground with his katana in its sheath in one hand. 'I should go back now.' He thought to himself. It wouldn't do to worry Kaoru after such a traumatic night. 

He made his way back to the house slowly, and this time, he was able to truly smile. 

~*~ 

Tsubame cracked her eyes open to find that she was no longer in the large hall filled with a huge crowd of men. The dimly lit room showed that she was not alone. She met the mirror of her own chocolate brown eyes set in a boy's face. The young girl stared openly at him and he matched her stare; her fingers curled in the blanket she had been covered with. 

"I see you're awake." Tsubame twisted around in the futon to the voice as Yahiko looked up to the doorway. The Empath got up from his spot on the floor and moved towards Kenshin. 

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be with Busu? And why aren't you sleeping anyway?" She was surprised to find that the voice belonged a red head that she had seen earlier in the hall. Fear dug its icy grip into her once again. She backed away from him, still within the futon. 

"She was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her up. I don't need that much sleep anyway, and I feel wide awake." Gentle violet eyes turned to regard the girl in the futon. He blinked at the terrified look on her face. "You're safe here now, there's nothing to worry about." His voice was soft and coaxing, but Tsubame's fear was deep-rooted. He took one step closer but she shrank back further; he sighed inwardly; he would just have to wake Kaoru up. Kenshin made to leave the room. "Yahiko, keep an eye on her for a second, I just need to wake Kaoru." The boy nodded and turned his attention back to the girl in the futon. 

He had woken up when Sanosuke had walked through the door with the unconscious girl in his arms. Yahiko knew something was wrong from the moment that his eyes rested on the unconscious form. His eyes shifted to the slightly open front door; Kaoru and Kenshin were outside, and although he couldn't feel anything, the emotions that they were projecting told him that something had gone awfully wrong during the mission. His small brow furrowed slightly. "Where's Soujirou?" he asked as he followed Sanosuke up the stairs. 

"Knowing him, he's probably gone up a tree somewhere." The spiky-haired man replied. "I'll have to go talk to him later, but for now, I'll put this lil' jou-chan over here to bed." 

"What happened?" The boy asked after Sanosuke had tucked the girl into the covers, switching the lights to a dim glow and leaving the room. By the grim expression on Sano's face, it must have been pretty bad to warrant an 'all-fucked-up' situation in his book. Sanosuke looked at the boy, debating whether or not he should tell him. The determination in his face told him all that he needed to know. He sighed before narrating what Kaoru had told him. 

"The mission failed. Someone sabotaged a van that was supposed the take fifteen kids to one of the safe houses, and the only one that they save was the girl here." He jerked his thumb towards the closed door of Kaoru's room. "The van exploded right before their eyes, and lets just say that their emotions right now are really screwed up." Sanosuke's dark eyes met Yahiko's. "Just don't ask them any questions right now. Jou-chan and Kenshin are probably gonna come in soon, and so will the Iceman and the itachi-musume. I'm going out to find the kappa now." Yahiko opened his mouth to protest, but shut it at the dark look that the man gave him. 

"You stay here and look after the girl. I won't be too long." With that, the man was gone, leaving Yahiko standing in the corridor. He was surprised when Sanosuke popped his head around not two seconds later. 

"By the way, jou-chan wants you to know that she kept her promise." Footsteps echoed on the stairs, and the turning of the knob on the front door told Yahiko that Sanosuke had truly left the house. A wry smile lit the boy's face as he turned the doorknob to Kaoru's room, closing it quietly behind him and taking up a spot close to the sleeping girl. He didn't even know that he had fallen asleep again until he heard the door open, and lifting his head, he saw that Kaoru was wrapping a blanket around him. She saw that his eyes had opened and offered a small smile. 

"Tadaima." She whispered in an effort not to wake the girl. He could see that she had been crying; her eyes were red-rimmed and her complexion was pale and blotchy. The boy returned her smile with a tight hug. 

"Okaeri." She squeezed him back. "I'm safe and sound, see? And everyone's home too." 'But at what cost?' The thought echoed in Yahiko's mind but he didn't voice it. 

"Good." He settled on the one-word response. 

"Tadaima." Kenshin's soft voice added to the room. "Yahiko, what are you doing awake?" His voice was tinged with slight disapproval as to what the young boy was doing up so late at night. "It's really late." 

"Well, Sanosuke told me to look after her." He pointed to the still-sleeping figure in the futon.  
Kenshin frowned slightly, brow furrowing. Kaoru yawned as she ruffled Yahiko's hair, earning a protest from the Empath, then got up. "What I need right now is some shut-eye time. If she wakes up Yahiko, can you come get me please? I'll be in Kenshin's room." The boy nodded in response as the pair closed the door behind them with a decisive click, leaving him in the barely illuminated darkness of the room. 

Leaning back against the wall, he decided to observe what little he could see of the girl. Her hair was dark chocolate brown, almost black, contrasting drastically against fair skin; her eyes were closed in peaceful sleep even as her chest heaved softly with every breath she took. He absent-mindedly wondered what colour her eyes were, but the rustle of the blankets in the futon told her that she was awake. Yahiko watched as her eyes opened slowly; her eyes were as chocolate brown as his, and he could feel waves of confusion and trepidation roil off her as her eyes met his. Then Kenshin had walked in, and the girl had been scared. 

Yahiko scratched his head, at a loss for words. The silence stretched somewhat awkwardly as Tsubame twisted her hands within the blankets again. 

"Um…so…what's your name?" She looked up in surprise. "I'm Myojin Yahiko and I've been living here for about over a week or so. If you're wondering whether anyone here is going to hurt you, then you don't have to worry because they were the ones who saved you from…" Yahiko paused, not quite sure as to what he wanted to say. "…whatever or whomever was going to hurt you. So you can rest easy here, 'kay?" 

Her quiet voice filled the room in response to his question. "Sanjou Tsubame desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Myojin-san." She was beginning to feel slightly more comfortable now that Yahiko had told her that no one was going to hurt her, but the slight fear was still there. The Empath, on the other hand, was wide-eyed; what had she called him? 'Myojin-san?! And I thought I was polite!' Any other thoughts that he had been having were cut off when Kaoru and Kenshin emerged through the door. 

Kaoru immediately went to Tsubame's side, smiling kindly at the girl. "How are you feeling?" Tsubame recognized her as one of the women who had stood up for her at the auction. The icy demeanour that had been there at the auction was a total contrast to the kindness that radiated from the woman now. Kaoru touched the bruise on Tsubame's cheek lightly where the auctioneer had slapped her. "This looks pretty painful." She got up to leave, but a tug on her sweatpants stopped her, and she turned around to look at the girl. 

"Please…please can you tell me what happened? I-I'd like to know how I got here." Kaoru noted the quiet tone of her voice and nodded, sitting back down in the spot that she had been earlier. Her eyes flicked to Kenshin momentarily and he nodded, leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Kaoru's attention returned to Tsubame. 

"To cut a long" 'and gruesome' Kaoru thought to herself. "Story short, we were able to save you from the auctioneer and those people back there in the hall. We left the place and then brought you back here." 

"Where's everybody else?" It was an innocent question, but guilt flared up in Kaoru again. 

"I'm sorry." Her eyes refused to meet Tsubame's as she looked down to the floor. Her tone of voice was soft and painful as she answered. 

"Everyone else is dead." The young girl's eyes were wide in shock and horror and disbelief. "You were the only one that we could save. I'm sorry." 

"Kaoru." She jerked her head up towards Yahiko. "Please stop blaming yourself. I…heard from Sano and it's not your fault. You couldn't have seen what was going to happen." Her smile was painful and twisted. 

"But I should have." Tsubame felt a wave of compassion for the woman; even though she was a stranger, she could see that Kaoru was being weighed down by a guilt and pain that should not belong to her. 

"Kaoru-san." Their attention returned to her. "I don't know what happened, or how it happened, but I somehow know that it isn't your fault. What happened to the others wasn't your fault." Her dark eyes met Kaoru's stricken blue. "I'm sure – I'm sure that they are in a better place now, free from the cruelty of the world, and they are happy. So…please, please stop blaming yourself for something that isn't your fault." 

Kaoru was slightly taken aback with the quiet clarity and wisdom that seemed to come from the girl. Reaching for Tsubame's hands in a thank you, she smiled at the girl. 

"Arigatou…" She still didn't know what the girl's name was yet. 

"Tsubame. Sanjou Tsubame desu." 

Kaoru enveloped the girl in a thankful hug. 

"Arigatou, Tsubame-chan." 

Maybe Tsubame was right, and maybe she was wrong, but whatever the case, Kaoru could feel some of the guilt easing off her shoulders. Maybe this time round, she had been unable to save them from dying, but maybe again, the children were truly happier where they were now that if they were still down on Earth. 

'But next time…next time…I'll make sure that it won't happen again. I won't fail them again.' Small tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged Tsubame. 

And so the slow healing began. 

Dictionary 

Okashira – head/chief (of a group/organization) 

Oniwa Banshuu – spy organization that Misao and Aoshi are part of 

Jou-chan – 'little miss' 

Itachi-musume – Weasel girl 

Sekihoutai – in the manga/anime, this was a group of peasants who had banded together to fight, but the government framed them for something that they didn't do and killed them all. Sanosuke and Katsu were part of the Sekihoutai in the original story. 

Taichou – commanding officer 

Ishinshishi – group that Kenshin & co. work for 

Busu – ugly, hag 
    
    Kappa – a mythical water demon. Found in some Japanese folk stories
    

Tadaima – I'm home 

Okaeri – welcome home 

Sanjou Tsubame desu – I'm Sanjou Tsubame 

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu – Nice to meet you 

Notes: 

(1) Sanosuke was in the Sekihoutai before joining Black Dawn. 

(2) What Sano means here is that he wasn't being used by others as a tool or object, because he didn't have any paranormal abilities back then, unlike Yahiko, who had had them since he was a child. 

A/N: Ahhhh! Finally done! That took forever to write, and I had to rack my brain, coz writer's block set in momentarily. Which totally sucked. Less darker than the last chapter, but still has tons of angst in it. Rah rah rah. 5000+ words so I hope that'll keep you occupied for the week (or not) until my next update. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! 


	18. Chapter 17: Proof of Life

Disclaimer: Mine, mine, MINE!!!!!! *Gets whacked out by a tough cookie and goes all swirly-eyed* @_@ Oro~ Shigano Sakura *is* mine though! 

A/N: Hey ya'll! Glad to see everyone who is still here with the fic, and here comes the new chapter! Sorry if some parts in this chapter are slightly disjointed, but I've been pretty busy this week, with BKA, an accounting test, a law test, 2 accounting assignments, a bio quiz and a law presentation _ Not to mention that I was dragged on a boating trip, and also had to look after a hyper 7-year-old who regularly drives me up the wall! So ya see? I have really good excuses! :p Anyways, here's chapter 17, and hope you enjoy it! Whee! OOCness and laughter abound! Hiko and Saitou are off to BD headquarters; intimidating of poor locals ensues! ^^;; oh dear, Kenshin's gonna get it! Thanks to all for reviewing! I've got over 200+ reviews now! Keep 'em coming! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Uenki – Yup, that I will! Do continue reading, and thanks so much for R&Ring! 

Kaoru23 – Hey girl! Holiday but not a good holiday? Meh~ Anyways, glad to see you around again! Yeah, the last chapter was sad indeed, but this one's much better and pretty much humour-induced. ^^;; ok…I guess that I urm…won't take your advice then? ^^;;; No matter, it's good that I get some anyway ^^ Yeah, school has taken a toll on me, and I'm still trying to write as much as I can, so thanks for R&Ring, and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

Cherry – Oro~ you really think so? XD thank you! Anyway, here's the next chapter! ^^ I enjoy mixing humour and angst together (even though that's kinda a strange combination o_O) so that it isn't an angsty story all the way through. XD Yesh, *waves flag* go Kenshin, go Kenshin go! Lol, don't mind me, I just love KxK WAFF and fluff. But you probably could tell anyway. Gonna stay with this story to the very end huh? Thanks in advance, and thanks so much for R&Ring! See you again in the next chapter then! 

Lee anne – Ah, another new reviewer! ^^ Yay! I'm glad that you're finding the dictionary bit of every chapter useful! At least my efforts are somewhat appreciated, hehe. Kewl! A K/K fan ^^ same here. I'll do my best to update as much as possible, and thanks so much for R&Ring. Hope ta see ya around again! 

Dragowolf – More humour in this one, so not to worry! ^^;; Poor Kenshin will be in for it! Hiko has come to visit! *_O Megumi should be showing up soon too. Thanks for R&Ring and see ya again in the chapters to come! 

Shattered Sword – Ooh! *Waves* A new reviewer! O_O Wow, read all of the chapters through in one shot huh? Kudos to you for being so patient enough to do so! ^^ Thanks so much for reading and reviewing and hope to see you again in the chapters to come! 

Rekka's Angel – Mmhmm, we know loads more about Sano now! ^^ Glad that you're still enjoying it! They really have gone through a lot ne? Hopefully fate will be kinder to them soon enough. Thanks so much for R&Ring, and I'll see you in the next chapter!! 

Baka-Ryu - _ Ah, mou! ^^;;; I took forever to write it and you read it in 5 minutes! Nooo! Lol, j/k. Glad that you liked the chapter! ^^ Yesh, do be patient ne? I need time to put up good, quality chapters so that I don't let my reviewers down. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

AnImEfReAk34 – Glad that you think so! Hope that you stay around to read more! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Eeevee – o_O Oro~ ^^;; I have no idea what to say to that. Hope that's not the only point that sticks out in my fic, hehe. Yup, it sure is human nature, and well, 'tis natural after all. It wouldn't be humane otherwise, no? Thanks for R&Ring and see ya in the next chapter! 

Irksome one – Yeah, Yahiko needs more company of his age, ne? ^^ Yesh, Tsubame will be good company for him besides the tori-atama. Hrrmmm…yesh, it is indeed a kinda turning point in the story, but we're not exactly there yet :p Getting there slowly. Anyways, thanx for R&Ring and see ya next chapter! 

Chris37 - @_@;;;; Ororororo~!! I'm so sorry for the mistake!! _ Egads, I have to admit, the name really did me in! Lol ^^;;; Chris or bel? Depends what it's short for I guess, both sound pretty good to me! ^^ Anyway, are you sure you're not a mind reader or something? ^^;; coz you're pretty good at determining parts and pieces of my plot! Who indeed? ^^ Ah, all will be revealed. Yup, will update soon soon, and hehe Kaoru is truly becoming a mother figure XD (*snicker* she needs practice if she's gonna have a million and one kids with Kenshin or something! Lol) Anyway, thanx for R&Ring girl, and see ya in the next chapter! 

Jezika- The Girl Who Cried Oro – o_O Wow, that is some nickname you've got there! ^^ very interesting ^^ Glad that you're loving the story so far, and yes, I'm a SDK fan too! XD wow, haven't seen one in ages (or should I say, haven't seen one at all!) I prefer the manga to the anime though (XD Mwahah~ especially Kyo molesting Yuya! *snicker* Thanks, I got your email and that's some useful information there ^^ mucho gracias! I'll try to update ASAP, and hopefully I'll see you again in the chapters to come, ne? Thanks for R&Ring! 

DragonTamer9741 – Mmm… ^^ yesh, I guess that would be the philosophy ne? Hehen~ I cried watching Seisouhen and even Escaflowne was sad! Hehe, keep a watch out for Sou-chan on your computer, ne? ^^ I'll send him through the wire phone soon, lol. See you again next chapter then, and thanx for R&Ring! 

Flyinangel777 – Ooh~ ^^ Thanks for putting me onto your fave list! Hehe, I get all that good morning/good afternoon/good night thing, don't worry ^^ Glad that you're loving the story so far, so stay tuned for more, ne? thanks for R&Ring! 

Poppy2 – Ah! The culprit of cliffhangers! Glad to see you here again! XD lol, wouldn't figure that Sano was that much of a talker huh? And that he actually gives good advice too! Yeah, Sou is probably gonna get back to normal pretty soon, and if he doesn't, well, XD Saitou will help him with that, and Kaoru too! Nyah, just pop around whenever you're free, so that's cool ^^ I enjoy your story lots and lots! More cookies needed? XD then finish that chapter! Mwahahhah~ ^^;; thanks for R&Ring! 

KeNsHiN – Mmm… that chapter took quite some time to write, that it did. It wasn't as angsty as the last one, but you can't expect them to go from mourning in one chapter to their ole bouncy selves in the next ne? So yeah, ^^;; grieve for one chapter, and then bounce back in the next! Lol, that's just my funny logic talking again. I'll update as soon as I can and as for the chapters being long, yeah, I'll probably have at least 3000 words per chapter *sigh* so much for wanting to keep to my 1000 word limit per chapter. Thanks anyway for R&Ring and hopefully I'll see you around in the chapters to come! 

Missaw – o_O They definitely have loooooooooooooads of characters. I'm already having my hands full dealing with Black Dawn alone, and let's not even start on the rest of the Ishinshishi! _ Oroooooooo~ Nyah, guess there's just been all the focus on the characters that were all there, ne? Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and yup, I'll update ASAP! Thanx for R&Ring and see ya next time! 

InuYasha22 – Yup! New chapter up, but less sad in this one! The group are gonna be going back to normal pretty soon, so don't worry about all the mopiness of the last 2 chapters, ne? Will update ASAP, and ok, I'll read your next chapter too! Thanx for R&Ring! 

Whoo~ and let's get on with the show! 

Chapter 17: Proof of Life 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

People on the train jerked nervous glances to the two intimidating men in the compartment, shrinking away as far as they possibly could. One was a towering giant of a man, dressed in a billowing white cloak and dark colours underneath, dark brown hair tied up in a low ponytail that flowed over the collar of the cloak; the other was dressed simply in what looked to be a police uniform, and had what looked like a sheathed katana hanging in his belt. Anyone who got too close to them soon got glared at by the one with burnished golden eyes or backed down under the stare of the imperious dark eyes. So it was that even though the little compartment was packed full of people, that a gap was formed between the two men who stood in the corner of the train away from the rest of the population. 

The doors of the compartment slid open, and the men made their way out easily, the other occupants of the train making way for them like scared mice, terrified that any wrong move would make the men react in…terrifying ways. As the doors slid shut behind them, the announcer reciting the next stop, the people in the train heaved a collective sigh, relief flooding through them now that the overbearing presences of the men were gone. 

Sharp eyes a shade of brown so dark flitted around the area as he took in his surroundings. It had been a long time since he had been here and many things had changed, while many things remained the same. He shrugged the inquisitive glances that people in the station were giving him; for a Japanese man, he was tall and well built, unlike the frame of those who only had a small frame and were short, as was typical of Japanese men. He flashed an arrogant smile at a few women who seemed to be staring intently at him, ego inflating as they blushed and chattered in hushed tones among themselves. The figure beside him rolled his eyes and proceeded to weave through the throng of people in the station, not really caring if the other man got lost in the crowd or not (although that was fairly impossible, considering that the exit wasn't all that far off). Noticing that Saitou was starting to move off, Hiko Seijurou abandoned his smirking tendencies at the inquisitive stares and followed after the man, white cloak billowing out behind him. After all, it wouldn't do to get lost in Tokyo even before he saw his baka-deshi. 

Katsura had made a 3-way phone conversation to both of the men a few days earlier, requesting that they go check on the Black Dawn headquarters. The group had reported that their mission had failed, and that the vehicle that was supposed to bring the children to a one of the Ishinshishi's safe houses had been sabotaged, killing 15 out of the 16 charges, as well as one of the Ishinshishi's employees. The criminals had been assassinated as per orders, but Hiko knew that even though that half of the mission was a success, the fact that the children had not been saved weighed heavy over their heads. Saitou and Hiko had both been shocked that Katsura had not 'Seen' that such a thing would come to pass, to which he had given them an answer that was caused more worry than reassurement. 

The Seer had told them he feared that the reason why he had not Seen such a thing come to pass was because someone might have been blocking his visions (1). That bit of information had made Saitou and Hiko wary; not only was this unknown enemy aware of Katsura's ability as a Seer, but could also block off his visions. It was very dangerous for all of the groups working under the Ishinshishi if such a thing was to continue, especially the assassin groups like Black Dawn which relied on the accuracy of Katsura's visions (even if they didn't tell them so) for the safety of those that they needed to save, as well as the safety of their employees. 

There was no doubt that the sabotage of the van had merely been a warning, a prelude to something more to come, and if they weren't careful, then everything would go up in flames. 

And _that_ was the very reason why Katsura had asked the men to check the Black Dawn headquarters. Not only would they check the premises, but they would also have to give the whole team some vigorous training just in case something happened, and also to check up on the two charges that Black Dawn had saved on their previous missions. It went without mentioning that it would also give Hiko a chance to see his one and only disciple whom he had not laid eyes on for over a decade, and it would give Saitou some time off his work in the police precinct to check up on his favourite (almost) nephews and niece. 

The men finally exited the crowded station, the cold wind blowing into their faces as they reached the entrance of the station. They trudged on, crossing the road as gravel crunched under their feet, loud in the cold mid-morning even above the noise of the few people who were out on a Sunday morning. As they made their way closer to the Black Dawn headquarters, there were fewer and fewer people, and the silence stretched out, not uncomfortable but just companionable; words were unnecessary, and both Saitou and Hiko were men of few words (and lots of sarcasm), so there was no reason to make idle conversation. 

As they reached what looked like a desolate forest, Saitou's eyes glanced around quickly as his senses reached out to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity. Satisfied that there was nobody else around, he muttered something inaudible under his breath before lifting an arm to part some of the greenery before him. The air seemed to shimmer slightly, as if from the result of a heat wave, but another second later, it flattened out again, and the men and the forest were nowhere to be seen (2). If anyone else had been passing by, all that they would have seen would have been a spot which seemed to have quite a few scrawny specimens of weeds, and nothing more. 

They had now entered the headquarters of Black Dawn. 

~*~ 

Kenshin cocked his head slightly, as if hearing an invisible sound, fingers lifting from the soapsuds in the sink momentarily, 'listening' for a moment more before returning to the dishes. He must have heard wrongly, he decided. It was probably his senses being oversensitive again. The sweet tinkle of laughter from the living room made him smile and he inclined his head towards the noise. Kaoru was in the living room with Yahiko on the PS2, and from the muttering grumbles from the boy and Soujirou's light chuckles, it sounded like Kaoru had won the match once again. Sanosuke was cursing lightly under his breath; he had lost yet another _go_ match to Soujirou. It had been slightly more than two weeks after Tsubame had arrived with them, and the team had more or less returned to normal after the unfortunate events that had happened. The wintery March weather had turned into the spring of April which was just three days away, and the sakura blossoms were starting to bloom, pink flutters of petals sweeping through the air at all times of day. 

Aoshi and Misao had returned again to the Aoiya back in Kyoto to report to Okina, and they seemed somewhat closer than they had been before. The smile on Kenshin's face grew at the affection that the okashira was sharing with the young budding ninja. He had, surprisingly, pulled her out of her depression and she in turn had uncovered the icy mask that he hid behind. Soujirou spent more time with both Sanosuke and Kenshin, as well as Kaoru, giving them more and more real smiles and truly living for himself for once. Tsubame had become less timid and more open, and had joined in on teasing Yahiko, who seemed to have more than a mild crush on the girl. His relationship with Kaoru was going on pretty well too, and they spent almost all of their time together, Kaoru sometimes using Kenshin as some adorable cuddly toy to sleep with. 

Yes, it was indeed a good thing that their patchwork family (3) happy again. 

But oh, chaos would descend soon enough! 

A series of loud knocks on the door made them freeze in their actions for the moment before they jumped to action. Kaoru got into a defensive position, making the children back up behind her; Sanosuke and Soujirou grabbed their gloves and katana respectively taking up positions of attack on either side of the door. Kenshin grabbed a knife, hand poised to open the door as his eyes narrowed. He could sense two people outside the door, and they were very good at hiding their ki; they would have been unnoticeable if they hadn't made themselves known. The voice that he heard next surprised him to no end. 

"Quit sneaking around and just open the door, baka-deshi." It was an arrogant command, not a request. Amethyst eyes widened in recognition. There was only one person who could be that arrogant and yet, get away from it. 

"Shishou?!" All members of the household turned questioning eyes towards him. 'Shishou?' Was the unanimous thought. 

Another voice spoke. "Just open the door, chibi-gaki. We haven't got all day." 

Soujirou's and Kaoru's eyes met, surprised. _Saitou-ojisan?_ What on earth was _he_ doing here with Kenshin's shishou? And for that reason, why was Kenshin's master even here in the first place? The two seconds that it took for them to process these thoughts was all that it took for Hiko Seijurou to bellow again. 

"Did you not hear me the first time, baka-deshi? I said open the door!" Kenshin's brow twitched slightly at his voice. His shishou was the most arrogant man alive (or at least Kenshin thought so, and the rest of Black Dawn would soon agree), not to mention impatient, demanding – 'and probably a sadist too!' Kenshin thought grumpily – all these flattering traits and more undoubtedly. The disgruntled red haired assassin opened the door to reveal his master and Mibu's Wolf, glaring first at Hiko, and then at Saitou. Neither were affected by his glare, and just brushed past him to move into the house. 

"Ho. So you're the one that my baka-deshi chose." Hiko's eyes took in Soujirou and Sanosuke first, before lighting upon Kaoru's unyielding face and the two children peeking from behind her. The man stalked towards Kaoru easily while ignoring Kenshin's protests and stopped three feet away from her. The arrogant smirk on his face made her scowl up at him defensively; Kenshin's shishou or no, she wasn't going to give an _inch_ to him! The red head muttered an apology to her through their HalfSoul link, and she could feel his slight irritation for the man, as well as grudging respect. Her scowl deepened as he continued to stare at her and the smirk on his face grew larger. 'So this must be his HalfSoul that Katsura was talking about. She's feisty enough.' Out loud he said: 

"You'll do." Now that he had finished his 'inspection' on her, he seemed to be bored and glanced around the rest of the house. Kaoru bristled slightly at such a flippant comment. 'Why the nerve of the man! I'm not some kind of—of object or something! Ooh, I'll show him! That arrogant, pompous, stuck-up---!' A sweat drop formed on Kenshin's head as she saw where her thoughts were going and promptly interrupted, trying to calm her down. _Maa, maa, koishii. He's always like this, so it's no use getting mad at him. _She calmed down slightly at his pleading tone; she would do this for Kenshin only, and nothing else. However… _if he goes on like this again, I won't hesitate to yell at him!_ Kenshin nodded his assent quickly; just as long as she didn't get mad! 

Saitou lit a cigarette as Kaoru continued to glare at Hiko. He seemed to be the only one who was not surprised by the strange events and he continued to remain nonchalant as a puff of smoke left his mouth. Only his eyes held a tiny spark of interest and he fought hard not to let the edges of his lips turn up into a smile as the 13th Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu master continued to smirk and the bristling blue-eyed assassin. Soujirou blinked twice at the strange situation and then broke the silence, an amused smile gracing his face. 

"Maybe you can tell us why you're here, Saitou-ojisan?" Kaoru abandoned her staring match with Kenshin's master to look at Saitou. "Sou da, Saitou-ojisan. Why are you here? And why do you have your katana with you?" 

Another puff of smoke left his mouth before he answered the question. "I just missed my lovely nephew and niece to much." Now a smile did break onto his face, albeit a rather sarcastic one. Sanosuke rolled his eyes, completely relaxed now. "Ah, just get to the point, **spider-face**. We know that you're never here for a social visit." The dark gold eyes turned to meet Sanosuke. 

"If a certain tori-atama would stop interrupting me, then maybe I'd be able to get to the point." He took a long drag on his cigarette, using that to punctuate his sentence. A vein popped in Sano's head but he restrained himself. "We're here to train you." 

"Train us?" Kenshin echoed. "Whatever for?" 'So that may explain what shishou is here for, but that still doesn't explain why he had to come all the way from Izu (3); I could have trained with Soujirou or Sano. So why exactly is he here?' Mibu's wolf turned his eyes to the red head. "Well, the training sure seems necessary enough, because we walked through here and you didn't even sense us until we knocked on the door. If the Bakufu ever find this place, they won't be as considerate." Kenshin winced slightly; Saitou was blatant about it, but he _did_ have a point. 

"So that answers the question of why _you're_ here, but what about Mr. Superman over there?" Everyone sweat dropped at the nickname that Sanosuke had just given Hiko as he jerked a thumb in the man's direction. Kenshin was trying very hard not to laugh; the nickname seemed to match Hiko very much, considering that he was always wearing that ridiculous cloak everywhere he went. Kaoru's mental laughter was already echoing through his mind although the only trace of it on her face was a little quirk of her lips. Kenshin flashed a quick smile at his HalfSoul, but unfortunately for the red head, his shishou caught this action and promptly marched over to his disciple, grabbing his ear and twisting painfully. The unexpected pain made Kenshin yelp slightly. 

"Ow! Shishou, what are you—ow!" He tried to walk straight as Hiko dragged him none-too-nicely by his ear towards the door. "Let go of my ear, shishou! Itai yo!" The red head protested painfully. For two seconds, Kaoru stood there, amused, before snapping back to her senses in realization that her HalfSoul was suffering from Hiko-itis (4) and was close to getting his ear twisted off. "Hey! What do you think you're doing to him?" She demanded of the bulky man as she stalked up to him, whacking his hand to try to make him let go of Kenshin's ear. "Let him go!" In the course of hitting Hiko's hand (which didn't seem to have much effect on the man), she was also accidentally whacking Kenshin's head, and the poor man was soon going swirly-eyed and "Oro"-ing. 

Kaoru was unprepared for the pat that Hiko gave her head and she blinked in surprise. 'Did he just…pat me on the head?!' Soujirou hid his sudden burst of laughter behind his hand, turning it into a cough as Kaoru went from surprised to furious in one second. Saitou leaned back against the wall to watch the pandemonium that he knew would ensue. 'Here we go again.' Somewhere in the hidden depths of the history of anime, a volcano erupted. At the same time, Kaoru erupted. 

"You impertinent man! You walk into our headquarters without so much of a greeting, and then start insulting Kenshin and I, then you almost wrench his ear off without so much as an explanation as to why, and where on earth you think you're dragging him, and then you pat me on the head as if I'm some kind of pet! I won't stand for it! Just who on earth do you think you are, you-you-you weirdo!" Kaoru fumed angrily at him, as she continued to pummel her fists into his arm, trying to make him let go of Kenshin. Hiko stared at her for a minute before bursting out into loud laughter, letting go of Kenshin's ear as he clutched at his sides, his great frame wracking with laughter as it echoed all around the house; the swirly-eyed assassin would have plummeted to the floor unceremoniously if Kaoru hadn't caught him before he fell. Everyone watched incredulously as the man continued to guffaw loudly. By the time his laughter had finally died down, Kenshin was scowling, rubbing at his ear painfully as Kaoru sat by his side, glaring at Hiko. 

He flashed a grin at the room as he wiped the corners of his eyes with a finger; he had laughed so hard that tears had squeaked out. "That was the funniest thing that I ever heard." He glanced at Kenshin, nodding in approval as the usual arrogant look reappeared on his face. "I like this one. You've got good choice, baka-deshi. Feisty to the boot and has the skills to back it up too." Kenshin grumbled in warning. "Shishou…" 

He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Whatever. We can talk about it later. Just get your katana and let's go already. There are many things that we have to catch up on, and your training is one of them. Now stop asking so many stupid questions so we can get a full day of training already, baka-deshi." Kenshin muttered a few choice words under his breath, shooting Kaoru an apologetic glance before getting up from the floor and making his way towards the stairs; when his shishou made up his mind, there was just no way of arguing with him. Kaoru followed him, curious. 

"And where do you think you're going, tanuki-musume?" Saitou spoke for the first time since Kaoru's rant had come to an end. "I'm going with Kenshin." She replied automatically; it was a given now that both of them would spend as much time together as possible, and besides, she wanted to see how good Kenshin's shishou was. 

"Well, you're staying here, and that's final." Kaoru stopped in mid-step as she turned to him in surprise. "I'm training you as well as the other two in the backyard. It won't kill you to be separated from him for a day anyway." *Puff* went the smoke. "Besides, I want to talk to you three alone, and we need to watch over your charges anyway." He gestured towards the two teenagers who were now sitting on a couch, watching the situation with interest. 

Kaoru felt her shoulders slump slightly in disappointment. Quality time with Kenshin was hard to come by, especially since she spent half her time at school, and the other half of the time studying for the mid-term finals, which were coming up pretty soon. Her emotions floated through the silver cord towards Kenshin, and he gave her a mental hug, voice reassuring as he promised her that he would be back by nightfall before dinner. Gathering up a change of clothes and a black leather duster, he dumped them into a sports bag, grabbing his katana as he went along, closing the door to his room silently. He planted a kiss onto her upturned lips as he found her on the stairs, not caring that everyone downstairs was probably watching; they could stare for all he cared! If they thought he was being too open with his affections, well, that would be their problem wouldn't it? _They_ were the ones who had interrupted his quality time with Kaoru. She responded by moving her lips along his, wrapping her arms around his neck momentarily before she drew back, smiling at him. He returned the smile and kissed her forehead before moving down the stairs back to the living room. 

Sanosuke shook his head. "Geez. You guys aren't even married yet, and there's already all this lovey-doveyness. I don't even _want_ to imagine what it'll be like when you guys finally tie the knot." Kenshin flashed him an innocent smile as he followed Hiko out the door. 

"Ittekimasu." 

"Itterasshai!" The chorus of voices answered him as he closed the door. 

Hiko had already started off down the pebbly path without him and Kenshin jogged up towards his master, slowing down to keep pace alongside him as they walked on in silence. Neither master nor student had seen each other for eleven years, but now that they were walking alongside each other, they seemed to be at a loss as to what to say. 

The older man was the first to break the silence. His voice was serious, devoid of any arrogance that was part of his usual demeanour. "I meant what I said back there. I like that girl. It's obvious that you two are a perfect match for each other and she's balancing you, just like you're balancing her." Kenshin didn't answer the statement, so he continued to speak. "She's nothing like Sakura (5)." Out of the corner of his eye, Hiko could see the muscles in his student's shoulders tense slightly at the mention of the name. 

This time, Kenshin did speak, and his voice was soft and low. "Sakura-san was something else, that she was. And she didn't deserve what he did to her. But even if she were alive and well, it would change nothing. Kaoru is my HalfSoul and I am glad that I found her." Memory was a bitch sometimes. Kenshin had met Shigano Sakura in an alleyway back when he was 14 and had saved her from being gang-raped. She had fainted and he had had no choice but to bring her back to the little cottage that he stayed in with Hiko. His relationship with Sakura had been purely platonic, but he had only known her for two weeks before she wound up been killed by the Bakufu. "And I won't let the same thing happen to her either." 

Hiko nodded absentmindedly; he could hear the steel determination hidden within his student's tone, and sincerely hoped that Kenshin would be able to keep his words. He knew more than anyone else what Kenshin had been forced to go through during his teenage years, and how hard he had tried to keep himself together after the death of both Sakura and his sister. He had been broken once already, and now he had found a 'glue' so to speak, to keep him together, but if anything happened to Kaoru, it would be the last straw. 

If anything happened to Kaoru, all hell would break loose. And this time, Kenshin might not be able to come back. 

Although Hiko did enjoy throwing sarcastic barbs at his student, they both knew that he was only joking. The 'jokes' however, would not include his fragile form of sanity. Hiko hoped that it would stay that way, but if things were happening like Katsura said, it would be hard pressed to keep things as they were. 

A smirk returned to Hiko's face once again as the men fell silent, reaching the edge of the forest. 

'But we're definitely not going down without a fight.' 

~*~ 

The sound of footsteps in a desolate hallway echoed loudly in the silence. A door opened, and the footsteps paused for a second before walking in. Yukishiro Enishi looked up from his desk to see his subordinate Gein standing there. Red eyes narrowed at the mask. 

"It went well, I trust." 

The masked figure bowed in reply. "The bomb was planted as per your orders sir. The van blew up right in front of their eyes." 

An insane light seemed to give fire to Enishi's eyes as his face twisted into a sadistic smile. "Good. You may proceed to the second level of the plans." The figure bowed again. "Now get out." A moment later, Gein had left and Enishi's room was once again plummeted into darkness. Picking up a knife from his desk, he pressed a finger onto its sharp edge, watching as his blood welled up and flowed slowly down the knife. Satisfied, he brought the knife to his lips and his tongue flicked at the blood that had collected there. His red eyes seemed to burn and his grin bordered on demonic. 

"The game is far from over, katzchen*." 

~*~ 

The metallic screech of metal upon metal ended as Kaoru came to a halt two meters away from her uncle, kicking up soil and breathing heavily as she braced a hand upon the ground. Saitou held his katana out, seemingly unruffled and barely sweating as he approached his niece. The weak afternoon sunlight rebounded off his sword. She stood up quickly, taking a defensive stance as he suddenly leapt into action with Gatotsu, right hand splayed at the tip of his katana as he rushed towards her. Kaoru stood there unmoving until the last possible movement, ducking under the katana and bringing up her own in one fluid motion to clang against his. She was barely able to avoid the elbow that almost came down on her head and she rolled away to avoid it. Kaoru dusted herself off as Saitou wiped some sweat off his brow. 

"Good. You need to work on your second line of defence though. You mustn't let your enemy have an opening that could very easily leave you headless if he's fast enough." Kaoru nodded; Saitou's training methods were hard and he often pounded you relentlessly, but you were all the better for it. 

Yahiko and Tsubame stood near the house, watching as Saitou and Kaoru leapt into action again, becoming blurs to their untrained eyes. "Wow." The boy breathed. "They sure are fast. I wish I could learn to fight like that." Tsubame cocked her head sideways to look at him. "I'm sure Kaoru-san would be willing to teach you, Yahiko-kun." She blushed slightly as he smiled at her. "Nah, busu doesn't have enough time on her hands already as it is, having to deal with university and all the missions that come her way and stuff." He turned his head back to the fighters. "It would be pretty cool though." 

"What would be cool?" Sanosuke rounded the corner of the house with Soujirou behind him, chest bare. 

Yahiko shrugged, turning to the spiky-haired man. "If busu could teach me how to fight like that." 

Sanosuke grinned. "I'm sure she would. Just ask her, Yahiko-chan!" 

"Don't call me CHAN!" The boy protested in outrage. "Kaoru doesn't really have a lot of time though, and I don't want to eat up the little time that she barely has with Kenshin." 

Soujirou smiled at the boy's consideration for his surrogate sister. "Well, I don't see why _I_ couldn't teach you how to wield a bokken at least." The trio turned to look at him. "I won't teach you how to fight with a katana, but I can teach you how to defend yourself at least with a bokken." He continued to speak, a finger tapping his chin as he thought about something for a while. "Sanosuke could teach you to fight with bare knuckles alone, so you can build up your strength. You can learn too if you want, Tsubame." 

"Really?!" Yahiko's eyes lit up at the sound of finally being able to have _something_ to do all day rather than just bumming around the house a lot (6). The young girl nodded; she didn't have much to do either, other than helping Kenshin around the house with chores. 

"Yup." Kaoru's voice came from behind them. "I'll teach you judo too. Kenshin would be glad to help you." She smiled at them. "Don't be afraid to ask Yahiko. I can always make time for you." The Empath's eyes softened considerably and he looked away to hide his embarrassment to mutter an almost inaudible "Thank you." 

"Train now, bond later." Saitou's voice added to the mix. "All three of you take me on at once." They gaped at him. "You heard me." The trio walked away from the teenagers towards Saitou, taking up attacking stances immediately. Saitou stood stock-still in the middle, katana tip pointed towards the ground, eyes closed. Neither of them moved for a whole minute, and their eyes darted to each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Kaoru nodded almost imperceptibly towards Sanosuke and they suddenly charged the man in the middle. Just before Kaoru's katana and Sanosuke's bugnuks connected with him, he seemed to blur slightly and he disappeared from in front of them to stand behind them. 

Kaoru was agile enough to spin around almost instantly and she brought up her katana to meet Saitou's, their blades clanging as he bore down upon her. Sanosuke on the other hand, was not as fast, and Saitou landed a hard kick in the middle of his back, sending him sprawling on the ground to eat the proverbial dust as the ex-street fighter muttered profanities. Kaoru spared him an unholy grin before turning her attention back to her uncle, watching Soujirou suddenly appear behind her uncle, bringing up his arm to strike down hard into his shoulder. Saitou continued to bore down hard on her sword when suddenly the resistance disappeared as Kaoru blurred before him. His eyes widened too late as his hand touched the ground and he spun around to find two katanas at his throat, the twins grinning at him as they high-fived each other. He granted them a rare smile before snapping a leg out to sweep their feet out from underneath them. The twins leapt upwards to avoid it and Saitou was soon standing again as the three assassins stood around him with their weapons poised to attack. Saitou shook his head, sheathing his katana, signalling the end of their training. 

"That's enough for today." He looked at each of them in turn. "I'm glad that none of you have lost your edge, but as for tori-atama---" he bestowed a sardonic grin on Sanosuke. "You've got to work on your agility there." 

"I'm leaving now." He turned his back on them and reached to the floor to grab his jacket which he had disposed off on the floor when he had started training them. He stopped abruptly, turning around to meet Kaoru's eyes. "A word with you, tanuki-musume." Kaoru nodded and complied, walking after Saitou. They soon disappeared into from the others' sight and he started talking. 

"You'd do well to keep your eyes open for any signs of trouble, Kaoru." She looked up at him sharply; he never used her name unless he was really serious about something. "We have reason to believe that the Bakufu has been interfering with some of our activities, and that that something has targeted your beloved chibi-gaki." Kaoru opened her mouth to ask but his eyes flicked to her and she closed it. "His past isn't exactly tidy, if you get what I mean and Katsura thinks that someone from his past is hell-bent on revenge, and you might be targeted as well." They reached the edge of the forest and he turned to face her, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"Just be careful." He turned and bent to lift the foliage. 

"Thanks, oji-san." Kaoru smiled at him, and the quirk of his lips turned up in return before he disappeared from the kekkai of the Black Dawn headquarters to rejoin the world outside. Kaoru stood there on the edge of the kekkai, deep in thought, continuing to watch even though there was nothing left to see and her uncle was long gone. 

If her uncle was worried then it was definitely a serious issue, and not something to overlook easily. It seemed that time was against her and Kenshin; she would have to ask him to tell her about his past pretty darned soon, so that she wouldn't be caught off guard if one of his old enemies turned up from nowhere. 

Her eyes looked up to the skies in a plea. 'Kami-sama, mou sukoshi dake…' The blue sky matched her deep blue eyes, but offered no reply. 

~*~ 

The sound of the waterfall crashing behind them barely hid the sounds of their swords clashing together in rapid blows. Kenshin and Hiko separated, swords still held in attack positions as they leapt from the ground to propel themselves high into the air, exchanging hard blows as they used the cliffs as stepping stones. Neither of the men held back any of their strength, but hit hard. They had changed into the traditional gi and hakama that they wore during training and Kenshin's blue gi was drenched in both sweat and water as he landed in the water. Hiko landed a second later, returning his katana into the saya and stepped into a battoujutsu stance, hand hovering over the hilt. Kenshin did the same, his eyes a mixed swirl of amethyst and amber, as he leaned into the stance. Silence reigned for two seconds before their figures blurred, swords meeting in a metallic clash again. 

Hiko nodded his approval before sheathing his sword once again. "That's enough for now. Take a break before you collapse on me." Kenshin was thankful and nodded in acquiescence, dragging himself out of the pond and onto a nearby rock, sprawling upon it to look at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering; it would rain soon. It had been a long time since he had gotten such vigorous practice, and the match that he had had almost a month ago with Soujirou didn't compare to a training session with Hiko. As Kenshin rested on the rock, regaining his breath, Hiko swigged a mouthful of sake down, breathing a satisfactory hiss as the sake went down his throat. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he too sat down on another rock. 

"I'm satisfied to see that you haven't forgotten all that I've taught you, baka-deshi." Kenshin threw his shishou a wilted glance; it was rather impossible to forget anything that Hiko taught because he literally whacked it into you to make you remember. The Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu master sipped his sake again before continuing. "I guess it's time to teach you the ougi." Kenshin's eyes widened in memory. His shishou had refused to teach him the ougi so many years ago when he had been assigned as one of the assassins of the Ishinshishi, claiming that he was still not ready to learn it. "You'll find that it's the one attack that covers both your attack and defense, and even if you don't manage to hit the blow, you'll have a second chance to attack your enemy." He got up from the rock and looked over his shoulder at Kenshin. "I'll see you back at the cottage. I expect to see you there in 5 minutes, baka-deshi." He left, leaving Kenshin behind with the roar of the waterfall. 

The red head's thoughts were muddled as he wondered why his shishou had chosen now of all times to show up and train him again. His eyes narrowed slightly. It couldn't be a mere coincidence that one of their missions had been botched up two weeks ago, and then his shishou showed up out of nowhere after eleven years. Not to mention the fact that Katsura had been 'seeing' something lately. There was clearly something going on, and Kenshin planned to get to the bottom of it. Closing his eyes to the glaring sun, he allowed his clothes to dry a little before following the path that his master had taken back to the small cottage. 

The assassin blinked as something was thrown his way when he opened the door, and he automatically caught it in one hand. To his surprise, it was a sword, and he looked at his master in question. Hiko gestured for him to draw the katana, and he did so. Kenshin blinked stupidly at the sword for a moment; there was definitely something wrong with it but he couldn't understand why. A glint of light that reflected off it soon showed him the answer and he found that the edge of the sword was reversed. 

"Sakabatou?" He queried. 'What on earth is this for?' "Dou iu tsumori desuka, shishou?" Hiko got up from his little corner of the cottage, picking up his own sakabatou. "We're gonna train with sakabatous for the ougi." His eyes narrowed at his disciple. "Unless of course, you'd like to 'accidentally' die while learning it." He exited the cottage to stand aways from the house, Kenshin trailing him. "For every style of kenjutsu that exists, there are nine points of attack or defense; the head, shoulders, chest, arms, groin and knees." He gestured with the sheathed sakabatou as he explained. "The Kuzuryusen is used to attack all of those points simultaneously, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to defend all the nine points at once. The only way that you would be able to deflect all of the blows is if you move before the Kuzuryusen is executed. Watch and learn, baka-deshi. Don't move a muscle otherwise you'll suffer the consequences." He sheathed his sword and leaned into the familiar battoujutsu stance. 

Kenshin's eyes widened as the full impact of the nine blows flashed by him at once, and he stumbled back slightly to keep himself from falling. Hiko was right; if he had been using his normal katana, and if Kenshin had even moved, he would have been dead by now. "Your turn now. My Kuzuryusen against yours." To any other person, Hiko's demand would seem overly ridiculous, considering that Kenshin had only seen the technique once, but to both master and disciple, it was a well-learned practice. After all, Kenshin couldn't possibly have learned all of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu in just two years if Hiko hadn't pushed him hard enough. 

Both men held their swords out, waiting for the right time to move. Their sakabatous flashed in the sunlight as they drew their blades, movement unseen, swords held in finishing stabs. Kenshin hit the ground a second later, coughing hard and dry retching; Hiko on the other hand, just turned to face his baka-deshi, seemingly unperturbed by the Kuzuryusen that Kenshin had just dealt him. He once again sheathed his sword. 

"Very good. It is not that your Kuzuryusen was done incorrectly, but rather, you do not have the strength that I have to back it up. If you'd just allow yourself to build up more muscles on your frame, then you'd be able to match your Kuzuryusen against mine." The trademark arrogant smirk lit his face. "I can see that it's far from likely though. The only thing that can cancel out the Kuzuryusen is the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki." Kenshin had recovered from the blows and he was standing up now, albeit some slight shakiness. "We'd better finish off the ougi now, or your woman will have my head for keeping you for so long." Kenshin blinked, still not quite recovered from the blows of the Kuzuryusen. 'Eh? Wasn't that the ougi?' 

Seeing the surprised look on Kenshin's face, he answered the question that he knew his disciple wanted. "The Kuzuryusen was _not_ the ougi, baka-deshi. It was merely a technique that was created while trying to achieve the final goal of the ougi. Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki is the real thing. However, the Kuzuryusen is the step towards achieving the ougi. If you think about it hard enough, you'll be able to find out the connection between the two. Before we start though, let me ask you something." The sky rumbled and then the rain fell upon them. 

"What do you fight for? Who do you fight for?" Kenshin was unprepared for the questions; it was the last thing that he thought Hiko would ask. They had been through this line of speech before, and Kenshin knew better than to recite something; Hiko was looking for an answer that came straight from his heart. 

"For the ones who live in ignorant bliss. For the ones who need protection. For the ones who suffer. To clear the streets of the filth and muck that desecrate Japan." His eyes burned. "I fight for my team. And for Kaoru." 

Hiko smiled in reply. It was déjà vu all over again; it seemed that Kenshin's values still held true; he had given much the same answers when he had asked the question eleven years ago. "Ah yes, the girl. How much would you be willing to give up for her?" Hiko knew the answer already, but maybe, just _maybe_, his baka-deshi would for once, prove him wrong. 

"My life." 'Or not.' "And if you died now for her?" 

"It would be worth it." Came the reply. 

Hiko would have slapped his palm against his head if Kenshin had not been there. 'He's making the same mistake again.' Instead, he offered no reply. "I see. You really are a baka-deshi." His dark eyes hardened; once again, his baka-deshi would have to learn it the hard way. He turned his back on Kenshin, leaving the red head gaping in shock. "Shishou?" His cloak swept around him as he turned to face Kenshin, features hardened in slight anger. "You aren't ready to master the Ama Kakeru Ryuu no Hirameki yet. You still haven't found what's holding you back." He turned his back on Kenshin once again, walking back towards the cottage. "I'll give you time to find what it is that's holding you back. But if you still can't discover what it is, you'll not only be a failure to me, but also your friends and yourself. And even the ones who you choose to protect." 

The door to the cottage snapped shut as the rain continued to pour down upon Kenshin, once again drenching him thoroughly. 'What is holding me back?' He wondered. Time seemed to be repeating itself again, as if caught in a loophole; the same questions being asked, the same answers given. So it was that he stood there for three hours, stiff in his thoughts. 

~*~ 

Hiko looked up through the windows of his cottage; sunlight was filtering in, and the rain had stopped. 'Has he figured it out yet? Does he finally understand what's holding him back?'. It was time for both master and disciple to find out. He grabbed the sakabatou from its corner and made his way out the door to find Kenshin in the same spot that he had left him in. His boots sank into the muddy puddles as he approached the red head. 

"Have you discovered what is holding you back?" Kenshin shook his head in reply, red bangs clinging to his face. 

"No." 

The burly man flung his signature white cloak off, allowing it to flutter into a puddle; he could just send it to the drycleaners' later. "I can give you the questions, but can you understand and answer them? If you cannot even answer the question of life, then you will never be able to face your past and its demons. As your master, this is my last duty to you." Hiko's slipped his sword out of its saya, boots splashing into the puddle as he moved towards Kenshin. 

Kenshin stepped back involuntarily as Hiko approached. 'Am I afraid of Hiko Seijurou? Or am I merely afraid of the death that I see behind him?' Kenshin shook his head mentally. 'But how can that be? Throughout all my years of being an assassin, I have never been afraid of death; rather, I longed for an end to my life so that I could be sane again.' He watched as Hiko charged him, ready to perform the Kuzuryusen. 

'What is it that I'm missing? What is it that I lack?' Hiko was silent as he executed the Kuzuryusen against Kenshin. The red head sucked in a lungful of air. Suddenly it seemed so clear as memories flashed by his eyes, encompassing the map of his life and the people that had been fundamental to it. Katsura, Tomoe, Hiko, Takasugi, Sakura, Aoshi, Saitou, Tsubame, Misao, Yahiko, Sanosuke, Soujirou; all their images flashed before his eyes, and finally overlapping them was Kaoru's smiling face. 

In that moment he found his answer. 

His right hand leapt to the hilt of his sword and he uttered a loud kiai as he unsheathed it against Hiko, cancelling out the impacts of the Kuzuryusen and drawing a deep trench-like mark into his master's chest before landing gracefully where his master had started off, katana still drawn back in the thrust that it had ended with. Hiko smiled as he sheathed his sword, wincing painfully at the blow that Kenshin had left on his body as he turned around to face his disciple. 

"Good. You finally understood. If you think that dying for your girl would make her happy, then think again. How would she fare in this world without you? If you think that you'd be able to leave your duty to this world behind when you died, then think again. How would you be able to protect those innocents if you left it? Do you think that you'd be able to make amends to the world if you're dead? All the answers to those questions are no, and you know it. So stop trying to throw your life away as if it's a useless piece of paper, and live, baka-deshi, LIVE!" The long speech took the last of his energy that he had been using to stand, and he slumped forward into the puddle he had been standing in. 

"Shishou!" Kenshin hurriedly rushed towards his fallen master, helping him up and dragging him back to the cottage. As soon as they got in, Kenshin helped his master move to the futon before rummaging through the cupboards for medicine. When he finally found it along with bandages, he turned back to find that his master had seemingly dropped asleep. He applied the medicine to the wound carefully, trying not to wake Hiko up; the 13th master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu master of course, woke up without his disciple even knowing it. 

"Go 'way back to your girl. I can finish this off on my own." Kenshin stared momentarily at his master who was now awake, opening his mouth to protest. "I said 'Shoo!' or do you not even understand a simple word, baka-deshi?" 

"But shishou, your wound!" 

"I said out! Off with you before she gets worried! And take the sakabatou with you!" Glancing at his master again, Kenshin moved past him to grab his bag and katana, still holding the sakabatou, before making to leave the cottage. 

"Oi. Matte." He turned to regard his shishou. "You'd better tell that girl about your past as soon as you get home. Something ugly is brewing and if you don't want her to be defenceless when the attacks start, then you'd better tell her. Saitou definitely won't forgive you if you lie to her, and you know that." The red head nodded silently. "Now scoot, I don't want to see you again unless you're getting married!" 

As Kenshin made his way down from the hills, he pondered hard on his master's words. It was truly necessary to tell Kaoru of his past because there was no knowing when Enishi would rear his head again to take revenge on him for screwing up his plans so many years ago. His eyes narrowed in anger and turned a slight amber. 'If he even dares lay a hand on Kaoru, he will pay.' 

But for now, he would have to settle for telling his HalfSoul his past, and he only hoped that she wouldn't be scared of him when he finally finished his tale. The sun started its descent as he left the hills, making his way towards the train station. 

Dictionary 

Baka-deshi – Literally means 'idiot pupil/disciple'. Hiko's lil' nickname for his beloved pupil. 

Ishinshishi – group that Black Dawn works for 

Ki – aura 

Shishou – master. What Kenshin calls Hiko. 

Koishii – beloved. What guys call their girlfriend or wife. 

Ojisan – uncle 

Chibi-gaki – literally means 'little brat'. Saitou's nickname for Kenshin. 

Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu – Kenshin and Hiko's style of kenjutsu. 

Tori-atama – Rooster head; Sano's nickname 

Busu – Ugly, hag. Yahiko's nickname for Kaoru. 

Tanuki-musume – Racoon girl; Saitou's nickname for Kaoru. 

Ittekimasu – what you usually say when you leave the house in Japan. Translates loosely to 'I'm leaving now.' 

Itterasshai – Reply to 'Ittekimasu'. Translates loosely to 'Have a good trip.' 

Kekkai – mmm…something like a ward. As in like, witchy type of ward, not like hospital wards. If you get what I mean. 

Kami-sama, mou sukoshi dake - God, please give us some more [time]. Did you know there's a drama series called this in Japan? It was really good too. 

Gi – tadah! What Kenshin wears in the manga and the anime. The shirt thingy. Blah, can't be bothered to explain it. 

Hakama – according to the dictionary I have: 'man's formal divided skirt'. ^^;; but we all know that it's the 'pants' that Kenshin wears in the manga and anime. 

Kuzuryusen – Literally means 'Nine-headed Dragon Flash'. Technique in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu 

Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki – Literally means 'Heaven Flight Dragon's Inspiration'. Ultimate technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. 

Ougi – secret, mystery. In the context of sword-fighting, an ougi is the final, hardest and strongest technique of any kenjutsu style to master. 

Dou iu tsumori desuka? – What do you mean? 

Sakabatou – Reverse-edged sword that Kenshin uses in the manga and anime. 

Oi – Hey (informal and rude male way of calling somebody.) 

Matte – Wait 

Notes: 

*katzchen - German for kitten! ^^ SchuSchu uses this a lot in Schwarz; he refers to Weiss as kittens. o_O 

(1) Tadah! Yup, there is indeed a way to block the visions of a Seer (at least in this fic it exists!). The blocker (so to speak) of a Seers visions has to either be a) a Seer himself; b) a very strong telepath who can build mental shields around that part of a Seer's mind, thus blocking off the visions. 

(2) Black Dawn headquarters and kinda…um…sectioned off from the world, I guess you could say. A kekkai covers it, which is like a ward of protection that shields/hides it so that ordinary people won't be able to find it. In this fic, you've got to know that there's a kekkai in the place, and you've got to know exactly where the 'opening spot' is, before you can enter it. 

(3) Tadah! The phrase 'patchwork family' was borrowed from **sayochama**'s fic, "Patchwork Family". Good story, go read! 

(4) Hiko-itis. ^^;; lol, couldn't help myself. Allergy to Hiko? Eheheeh 

(5) Shigano Sakura. An OC created; part of Kenshin's past. Ah, you'll find out all about her when I finally finish working on this fic and start work again on the prequel to it. Until then, ya'll shall be left in the darkness! XD Mwahahha~ 

(6) No school for Yahiko or Tsubame. They get some form of home-schooling from Kenshin, because it's too dangerous for both of them to go to school, what with the Bakufu after them all the time. 

A/N: God! That took forever to write! _ Urrrrrrrgh. Can't be bothered to beta-read the whole thing all over again, coz I'm darned tired now! Ker-ist! That's 8162 words for ya'll, and my eyes hurt now! As you can see, Kenshin has now learned the Kuzuryusen and Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki. I was watching the episode to that while writing this chapter, and fine-tuned it slightly to match my purposes for this fic. Now you know who the culprit was who sabotaged the van! -_- Never knew that it would take this long to write though. Yuck. Never writing 5000+ words in one shot ever again! My brain cells will be screwed for all eternity! Anyway, hoped that you enjoyed this more light-hearted chapter and I'll see ya'll in the next!


	19. Chapter 18: Retelling the Past

Disclaimer: I want, I want, but I can't, and don't! ;_; Unless someone would be willing to buy both the rights of RK and WK for me as an early Christmas present! XD lol. Shigano Sakura, on the other hand is a creation of my imagination, so I have all the rights to her! 

A/N: Hey peeps! Welcome back for another dose of 'Need to Kill' ne! ^^ Glad that a lot of ya'll are still 'round with me, and the chapters are gonna keep rolling in. Been fairly busy this week preparing for a bio test and a law essay, as well as running away from freaky wanna-be stalkers. ^^;; I swear, my life is just this one big adventure race or something. This chapter, Kenshin bares his past to his friends and his beloved, and we find out just what role Katsura, Hiko, Tomoe, Sakura and Enishi had to play in his teenage years! A story within a story I say! Words of wisdom from Sano, Sou, Kaoru, and even Yahiko and Tsubame. Suffice to say that Kenshin's inferiority complex kicks in again, and there's more KxK WAFF! Well, hope you'll enjoy it! 

Question: Should I make an FAQ? To like compile stuff about the characters and everything as well as the different types of abilities? Tell me if you think I should make one or not. It'll of course, be separate from the chapters, so don't worry about that. 

Question 2 (totally unrelated to the fic!): Does anyone have any ideas as to how to get rid of wanna-be stalkers? There's this *really* irritating guy who keeps following me and my friends around during lunch, and he's just really really strange (we're not the only ones who think that, believe you me). So far, all we've been doing is run away from him, but somehow, he always seems to find us wherever we go; we've got a theory that he goes around to every restaurant to look for us or something (*_* and our theory was soooo totally confirmed!). Another thing is that every time he shows up, our moods change abruptly, and we can't even talk freely among ourselves. It's like he's some kind of inhibitor or something. Did I mention that I get murderous tendencies when he's around? Oh, yes I do. So. Any suggestions as to how we could get rid of this strange nut would be very welcome. 

Reviewers' Space! 

Dragona2007 - No problemo, just read when you're free ^^ Glad that you enjoyed it, and here's the next one already!

Kaoru23 - Hey there girl! No problemo, just update when you're able to, as long as you update! Lol :p I love reviews, so yeah, you get the point ne? School is on huh? Yuck. Hrmm...as for the Misao and Kaoru thing...hrm...oh well we'll see. I think Enishi is downright evil! But don't mind me, I'm just like that, ne? I'm a hopeless romantic too! Hehe, a hopeless KxK romantic that is, as you can probably tell from all my chapters. Well, here's the next chapter, and hope that you enjoy it!

CharlieTheOtakuNymph - Wow, really? Kewl, glad that you found it then ^^ And absolutely happy that you like it! Here's the next chapter and hope to see you around again! 

Dragowolf - ^^;;; When is the next chapter? Hehe…eetoo…Sunday probably; I need time to work to get up good chapters! Ah, Misao-chan will show up again with our beloved okashira in tail soon enough, and yesh, I can tell that you *are* indeed a big Misao fan! ^^ Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the next update! 

KeNsHiN – XD If ya like it, then keep reading, ne? Ah, what on earth *did* Kenshin do? You'll definitely find out in this chapter! As for Kaoru getting sad, well, urm… _ I think I'll be guilty of that. XD Poor Oro-chan; always getting bullied by his over-bearing shishou, hehe. Yup, will definitely continue soon! Thanks for R&Ring and see ya in the next chapter! 

Flyinange777 – glad that you enjoyed it girl! ^^;; Lol, Hiko probably won't be turning up for quite a bit, and as for whether he'll ever fight with Kaoru? Hrm…that'll be hard to work a scene in like that, but we'll see. Anyways, thanks for R&Ring and see ya again in the next chapter! 

Cherry – Konnichiwa! Yup, I used that episode alright. XD Ah, Kenshin being daring eh? Hehe~ go Oro-chan! Hiko is a loveable arrogant nut, I tell ya! In my fic, he *is* kinda like Kenshin's dad, in some sense; if you read the chapters that I've got up currently on 'Fallen Path', then you'll understand why. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

Chris37 – ^^ Well your lucky guesses are pretty accurate! Ah, what indeed? ^^ Couldn't resist putting hiko-itis in there! Yup strong telepaths only, and well, you'll see why Black Dawn can't remove it soon enough. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

Ana – Thank you! ^^ Will do, and thanx for R&Ring! 

DragonTamer9741 – Ahah! ^^ *sends Sou through the phone line to pop out on the other side* *Sou waves* XD Mwahha~ you can have Sou for the whole chapter now! ^^;;; lol, but I need him back for the next one, otherwise they'll be one person short! (Noo!) Glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and yup, I'll definitely write again soon! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Missaw – Mmrm, yes Megumi. Next chapter, I promise! (I can practically hear all the cheers from the Megumi and Sano fans now -_-) ^^ Glad that you enjoyed the chapter! XD Always good to be able to please the reviewers. ^^ Yesh, Hiko rocks, does he not! *_* I think he lives to annoy people, just like Saitou does, lol. Will see you again in the next chapter girl, and thanx for R&Ring! ^^ 

Irksome one – *bows five times and starts getting swirly-eyed* @_@ Oro~ Glad you approve of it! XD just had to bring in the evil white-haired one sooner or later, and tar-dum! There he is! Ah, he has everything to do with Kenshin and vice versa, as you'll find out soon enough. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

InuYasha22 – Oro~ ^^;;; You've finished reading it already? Mou _ I took forever to write that chapter and you guys finish reading it in like 10 minutes or less. *sigh* Ah, such is an author's life. Yup, will write more soon, and you're welcome! Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you around in the next chapter! 

Eeevee - ^^;; I guess it is a pretty good tag to have, huh? Lol. Yesh, Hiko-itis. ^^; Oro-chan suffers from it! XD Yes, Hiko the superman it is! It's a wonder that he doesn't get tangled up in that darned cloak of his! O_O And it's a wonder how it manages to stay white all the time! Thanks for R&Ring and I'll update ASAP! 

The Girl Who Cried Oro – Ah ^^ I see. I only wish that they'd put up a section for SDK here at ff.net. _ Mou! I'm sure that there are some around; heck, I wrote a one-shot myself! XD KyoxYuya NC-17ness, mwahahhaha~ if you'd like to read it, then I could always send the file to you, so tell me, ne? Mrm, like your story 'Project Battousai', so keep the chapters coming yeah? ^^ and I'll keep reading! Thanks for R&Ring and I guess I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

On to the chapter! 

Chapter 18: Retelling the Past 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_.

"Tadaima." Kenshin announced as he opened the front door to the house. He looked up to see that everyone was at the dining table in the kitchen, and felt his heart warm as Kaoru smiled cheerfully at him. "Okaeri!" The group chorused, and he dumped his bag on the floor, placing the two swords carefully beside it, before moving towards them. Kaoru slipped from her seat to come to the entrance of the kitchen, slipping her arms around his neck as he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. She frowned slightly; his hair was damp. Had it been raining when he had been training? It had looked dark outside when she had come back from seeing Saitou off, but it hadn't rained in this side of Tokyo. 

_Daijoubu da yo, koishii. I was just training out in the rain with shishou._ His teeth nibbled lightly into her lips as he pulled her out of her musings. She smiled in return as she tugged lightly at his ponytail playfully, returning his kiss. Sanosuke grinned lewdly, then coughed to get their attention. The pair turned to him, and he returned their looks with a raised eyebrow. 

"If you're gonna get it on, then at least be considerate enough to get a room eh? You wouldn't want to pollute the minds of these kids here ne?" If looks could kill, he would have been a burning spot on the floor; Kenshin and Kaoru narrowed their eyes at him as Soujirou shook his head, smiling lightly. Yahiko rolled his eyes as he continued to eat while Tsubame blushed pink. 

They rejoined the table to finish off their dinner, returning to their own activities as soon as the meal was over; Sanosuke and Yahiko to the PS2, Tsubame to a book, Soujirou to his room to finish an essay, while Kaoru and Kenshin stayed in the kitchen to wash up. Kaoru hummed softly, enjoying the comfortable silence with Kenshin when the red head spoke up. 

"Ne, koishii." 

"Hai, Kenshin?" The smile never left her face as she inclined her head to meet his eyes that were almost hidden underneath his long bangs. Through their HalfSoul connection, she could sense his anxiety, and wondered what bothered him. She had felt a mix of emotions including confusion and anxiety when he had come back from his training with Hiko, curious as to what could have transpired between master and student. "What is it?" 

Kenshin's voice was filled with trepidation and hesitation as he answered her question. Should he tell her? Should he not tell her? He didn't want to let her see the monster he had been back then, didn't want to involve her in his dirty past. The circumstances that they had found themselves in, however, contradicted this. A sad smile touched his lips. 

"There is something that I must tell you…and everyone else…it's…about my past. I must tell you tonight." 

Her azure eyes widened; it was the last thing that she had thought he would ever say. 

"Kenshin…" His name was a soft whisper upon her lips. 

Pained amethyst eyes met shocked ocean depths. "Koishii, can you promise me this?" 

"Nani?" It pained Kaoru to see him like this; it didn't suit him at all. 'Anything for you, itoshii, if you would just stop being so sad…' She brought her hand up to stroke his cheek and he leaned into the palm of her hand. 

"This is selfish of me, but…stay by my side always? No matter what? Even if I turn into a monster?" 

The overwhelming guilt and self-hatred that she could feel from him would have floored any other woman, but Kaoru just pulled him close to mutter softly into his sweater as her mind enveloped his mentally, trying to provide him with soothing comfort. 

"Kenshin no baka. Of course I'll stay by your side no matter what! And you're not a monster at all." 

His smile became slightly less pained as one hand entangled itself in her raven locks, the other going around her waist. "Arigatou, koishii. You don't know how much it means to me." 

She pulled back slightly, tilting her head to kiss his chin. "Of course I do, baka. We _are_ HalfSouls after all." 

"Aa." Came the simple response. 

"Well then, if you are going to tell us about your past tonight, then we can all get ready for it ne?" Kaoru winked playfully at him. "And you, itoshii, need to go take a hot shower before you catch a cold after being out in the rain for so long." 

His eyes widened slightly, eyebrows rising, as she smacked his bottom lightly, a mischievous grin on her face. 

"As you wish, koishii." He drawled dryly before kissing her again and leaving the kitchen. 

_You sure know how to cheer a man up._ Kenshin's voice tickled her mind. She responded with a small chuckle. 

_Not just any man. You!_

~*~ 

When Kenshin came down from the bathroom again, he found the rest of the household waiting expectantly for him in the living room, turning their heads to look at him in curiousity. What tale would he hold for them tonight? What did his past hide? Would they get to know the real him? Many questions swirled within their minds as he made his way down the stairs to his captivated audience. As his weight sank into the couch beside Kaoru, he sighed inwardly, slightly relieved that his pseudo-family would finally know the truth, and apprehensive as to how they would judge him after his tale was done. Kaoru's hand sneaked into his and she squeezed it comfortingly, eliciting a smile from the red head as he smiled back at her gratefully. Kenshin took a deep breath and started talking. 

"What you are going to hear now may frighten and shock you, and my story will be long, but I would like all of you to promise that you will not interrupt me throughout the course of my tale, otherwise I may lose the courage to go on. Under different circumstances, I am sorry to say that I might not even have told you any of this at all," He averted his eyes as if in shame for a moment, before turning to meet all of their eyes again. "But what has been happening recently cannot go unnoticed, and it bears too much resemblance to some parts of my past. For all of you to be able to defend yourselves if the need arises, I must tell you about my past and the enemies that haunt me." Kenshin paused, licking his lips lightly before continuing. 

"I had a sister who practically brought me up, since our parents died when I was 5. Her name was Tomoe. Although she never really smiled, she was a wonderful person, and certainly a remarkable woman. She was only three years older than me, but she never complained about bringing me up, nor did she complain about having to give up going to school so that she could work part-time to support the both of us. All we had was the house that our parents had left us, and each other, but it was enough, and we were happy." 

"When I turned 13 however, everything changed." Kenshin shut his eyes, a painful expression racking his face for a minute before he opened his eyes again. Images of Kenshin's past flashed briefly in Kaoru's mind but when she blinked again, they were gone. "She was run over by a car and went into a coma. The doctors said that she was lucky to have even survived; most people would have died after having been knocked over like that. By some great stroke of luck, Hiko Seijurou showed up out of nowhere, claiming to have been friends with my parents, and said that he would take care of Tomoe's hospital bills if I would train under him in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. I accepted, and he became something of a surrogate father to me." 

"For two years, I trained under Hiko, learning the art of kenjutsu, while schooling at the same time. For those two years, Tomoe never opened her eyes. It scared me that there was a possibility that she would never wake up. I started to withdraw into myself, turning away from would-be friends until finally, everyone shunned me. Everyone, that is, except for a girl called Shigano Sakura. When everyone else turned away, she continued to try to pursue a friendship with me, regardless of my cold demeanour towards her. When I was walking home one day from school, though, I found her surrounded by a group of men, and saved her from being gang-raped. She stayed with shishou and I for a little while, and it turned out that she wasn't exactly ordinary, but was a budding telepath, and that the men who had been about to rape her were from the Bakufu." He shook his head lightly. 

"It was barely 2 weeks before she was murdered by the Bakufu on the way back home from her part-time job. If I had been with her then…" Kenshin's face was grim. "I knew nothing about the Bakufu back then, but after witnessing Sakura-san's death, I was determined to never let such a thing happen again to others like her. Hiko introduced me to Katsura-san and Takasugi-san, and I began working for the Ishinshishi. My first year as an assassin was hell. It didn't matter that the lives that I took were those of criminals, but killing a person doesn't make it right; it just creates more bloodshed. I was ashamed of myself for taking the lives of others, as if I was entitled to, but still, I continued to visit my sister everyday, taking comfort in her presence even though she slept deeply in her coma. Every time I killed, I locked away the me that I had been before Tomoe became comatose, and brought out a mask, a colder side of me, so that I could sort of separate the killer from the normal teenager." 

He ran his free hand through his red locks. "That is why my eyes turn amber during missions, and revert to purple during normal circumstances. Without that mask that I built for myself, I would have gone insane a long time ago." A bitter smile touched his lips as his amethyst eyes darkened. "The worst was yet to come though. Tomoe was kidnapped one day by a telepath who worked for the Bakufu; one Yukishiro Enishi. He had been driven mad by the experiments that they had done on him, and he wanted nothing more than to inflict pain onto others like him, to make them suffer like he had. Somehow, the Bakufu had found out that Tomoe was not only a slight telepath, but was also a Dreamwalker and a Seer; I never found out until it was too late. For some reason, she had also never aged since the day that she went into the coma, and they wanted to experiment on her because they thought that maybe her cells held the secret to immortality. I still remember the psychotic grin on his face as he informed me that he had been the one to kill Sakura-san as well, and now he was taking my nee-san from me." Kenshin's eyes took on a slight amber hue; anger flared for a second in the HalfSoul bond that he shared with Kaoru before he forced it down again. 

"It was the last straw for me, and snapped my thinly veiled sanity. My assassin nature took over completely, and I went half mad trying to find the Bakufu headquarters to get my sister back. When I finally found it, I went through the compound as if on autopilot, killing and slaughtering everybody in sight, until I finally reached the room where Enishi was with my sister. Tomoe was still in a coma, but Enishi had taken the pleasure of carving cuts into her skin, and although her skin had indeed healed quickly, I still saw the lingering scars that were there. It only served to enrage me further, and we fought." He was lost in the depths of memory as amber flashed in his amethyst orbs. 

"What I didn't expect though, was for him to be a telepath powerful enough to screw up all of my senses (1). It was a game to him, and he enjoyed flinging pieces of information that he had picked from my mind at me, making me feel guilty all over again for the people that I had killed. Still, it didn't penetrate my battle-rage, and I continued to fight against him, gaining numerous wounds and cuts while he stayed unwounded. I was adamant on getting Tomoe back though, so I continued fighting, even though I no longer seemed to be in my body. In the process, I somehow managed to inflict some wounds on him, and he became furious. His blows with his sword were harsh, and the wounds that I had taken were quickly becoming a hindrance to me, slowing me down. I decided right then and there that I would make a last stand, and would put all of my strength into one last blow." 

Pain replaced anger in his eyes once again as his voice lowered into a soft whisper. "That proved to be one of my biggest mistakes ever. My senses had dulled after his fooling around with my mind and the wounds had made it worse; so I didn't even notice that she had somehow woken up from her coma, and was standing there in front of me, acting as a human shield. Enishi of course, couldn't be more delighted by the fact that I was about to commit the most unbelievable act ever." Kenshin's voice turned bitter. "The power that I had put into the blow was so deep that I not only succeeded in slashing into his shoulder, but also ended up killing my sister as well. Enishi fell unconscious after the blow, and I took notice of him, even while I caught my sister's dying body in my arms. It was so ironic; Tomoe woke up from her coma as she died, and she smiled for the last time, telling me that it was never my fault and that she supported what I had been doing all along, telling me that even in her coma, she had somehow been able to watch over me all along. She transferred her Dreamwalker powers and slight telepathy to me; to this day, I still have no idea how she did it, but I am thankful." He glanced quickly at Kaoru's saddened expression before returning to his story. 

"I burnt down the whole compound with Enishi in it, but I never actually witnessed his death, so I cannot claim that he is truly dead. The firestorm burned up behind me as I left with Tomoe's dead body in my arms, bringing her back to the cottage where I stayed with shishou, and we gave her a proper burial after that. Her death had managed to shake me out of my animalistic rage; it made me regret that it had taken her death to bring me back to myself, and I swore that I would never turn into some kind of demon again, so I lived on in her legacy, continuing to kill those who threatened innocents, helping those in need. And it has brought me here, where I stand today." He closed his eyes to lie back in the material of the couch, his story at an end, and the clock struck an hour past midnight. 

They were quiet, at a loss for what to say to such a painful baring of Kenshin's past, and so they said nothing. A wry smile twisted his lips as he looked at each of them in turn. 

"I would understand completely if you think of me as some kind of monster now, and if you hate me, then I can only say that I rightly deserve it. What kind of person would kill his own sister? What human would lose his sanity and turn into a mindless slaughter machine? All I can say is that I am sorry to have involved you in my ugly past, sorry to have shattered any illusory images that you had of me, because that is not who I am. If you feel that I am undeserving of joining Black Dawn, then I will gladly leave." His eyes were downcast, and he refused to acknowledge Kaoru's soft glances at him, as well as her mental voice that kept reaching out to his; he pushed them away, once again entrenched in his memories, glued to the guilt and the suffering. 

"It was truly necessary to do so. Maybe one day you will be able to forgive me for dragging you into what should be buried deeply in the past, but for now, I will not let him hurt any of you and I refuse to back away from all of you. Hopefully what I have told you will alert you to him if he ever comes after any of you." He bowed his head low to them. 

"Idiot." Sanosuke was the first to break the tense silence. Surprised violet eyes met the angry chocolate brown ones. "If you think that we would think any less of you for something that was clearly not your fault at all, then you're wrong. Do we seem that petty to you? How can we even venture to judge you when we are all guilty of the same thing? In our respective ways, we have all failed someone important to us in one way or another." He pumped his fist into the air. "Given that our circumstances were probably never as bad as yours, we each bear our own 'sins', we each bear our own masks. If any of us were in your shoes at that point in our lives, we would pretty much have reacted the same way that you did. It was justified after all, and it would be easy to lose touch with sanity with the way that fate seemed to love playing you." 

He leaned across the coffee table that separated the couches that they were on to make his point. "So don't you dare pull out on us after barely settling down. We're here to help you coz that's what families are for. And there's nothing to forgive. If you break jou-chan's heart by leaving though, then I'll make sure you'll pay." Sanosuke cracked his knuckles for emphasis. 

The red head smiled gratefully at the spiky-haired man. "Arigatou Sano." 

"Na, Kenshin." All eyes turned to Yahiko as the young Empath spoke up. He shifted uncomfortably under their glances. "I may be too young to understand stuff about killing and all that, but I know that you're definitely not a monster; heck, you saved Tsubame and I from those wackos, and we're really grateful to you for that. If you hadn't saved us, then we wouldn't be sitting here now, talking to you." The dark brown eyes held volumes of wisdom for such a young age when he finally met Kenshin's gaze. "You're just as human as anyone else, and as Sanosuke said, anyone would have reacted like you did in such a situation, so stop beating yourself up for something that you didn't do. If you think that we're gonna turn our backs on you because of something that happened which was out of control, then you're not giving us any credit at all." 

Tsubame nodded to Yahiko's ending comment. "Yahiko-kun and Sano-san are right, Kenshin-san. I don't think that you're putting us into danger at all; you are merely trying to protect us, and I don't begrudge you that at all. In fact, it was hard enough for you to tell us all about your past, and I don't know how we can ever make it up to you for baring your own soul to us. So, onegai, Kenshin-san, stop making yourself suffer." 

Soujirou jumped into the conversation as well before Kenshin could even reply to their words. "You never tried to pretend that you were any more than who you were when you first joined us, and you never tried to be who you were not. For that, we trust you and accept you, past, present and future, no matter what happens." Blue eyes that were not Kaoru's met and held Kenshin's. "Family, remember? It doesn't matter what went on in your past, but once you stepped in, you became ours. And we'll stay with you no matter what." 

A genuine smile lit Kenshin's eyes this time, erasing the pain and guilt that lingered there. "Minna…arigatou." Now all eyes turned to Kaoru, who had been silent all along, eyes hidden underneath her bangs. Her lips moved and she whispered something inaudible under her breath before squeezing Kenshin's hand lightly once more and then slipping her hand from his, running from them all, light feet pattering up the stairs and into a room. They blinked in shock, with the exception of Kenshin, and his face seemed to once again take on a painful smile. Although what she had said was so quiet that the others hadn't heard it, he had been sitting right next to her, and had been able to hear it. 

_"Baka."_ Was what she had said before running from him. It seemed as if someone had shot a bullet into his heart. Wasn't this what he was expecting? Yet it still hurt, more than he ever thought it would. 'But why would she accept me after all the wrongs that I've done?' If he had not been so engrossed in believing that Kaoru hated him now, he would have known that at that moment, Kaoru was in his room crying _for_ him, not hating him. Out loud he whispered into the uncomfortable silence, "I'm sorry." 

Soujirou was already in her mind. _What are you doing, Kaoru?_ He could practically see the sad smile on her face. _Gomen ne, Sou-chan. He's just such a baka sometimes. How can he even believe that we'll judge him because of his past? It may have made him the person that he is today, but that doesn't mean anything more that that. He is who he is now, and nothing will ever change the way that I feel about him. _He could understand that his sister probably wanted to talk to her HalfSoul in private, but Kenshin had taken it the wrong way. _Well, he's kinda taking it the wrong way, ya know?_ Her eyes widened slightly, and she could now feel his self-loathing and pain through their link. "I'm such an idiot." She whispered, closing her eyes again. Why was it that something always seemed to go wrong when it was supposed to be right? _Can you ask him to come up please?_ He complied and was gone from her mind once again. 

Kaoru leaned her forehead against the cool wood of the window frame. What had possessed her to act like that? She could have just told him what she wanted to say right in front of all of them, but oh no, of course she had to run away and be selfish, only wanting to tell him when they were alone, which had resulted in his feeling hurt and pained because of her selfishness. The creak of the door told her that the subject of her thoughts was now in the room. It clicked as he shut it behind him. 

"Kaoru…" Kenshin whispered uncertainly; how would she react? Would she call him to be so near, only to push him away? He was taken by surprise when she threw himself into his arms, burying her face into his hair as the tears flowed freely from her eyes. 

_"Kenshin no baka, baka, baka!"_ Kaoru's words were both vocal and mental. _"How can you even believe that I would hate you? You're such an idiot sometimes, Himura Kenshin!"_ Relief seemed to flood through his veins as she held him tightly, her words like a comfort blanket. His arms tightened around her petite waist, drawing her further into his chest. _When you left, koishii…I thought…I thought that you had left me, because of the monster that I am._ It was his turn to hold on to her as if his life depended on it; a need to have her in his arms so strong that he was afraid that if he let go, then he would lose her. He sank to the floor on his knees with her still in his arms. 

"I promised you, remember?" She whispered into the auburn mane of hair, fingers drawing through the strands. "That I'd be by your side no matter what. How could you believe that I would ever leave you? And you're not a monster at all, itoshii." Her loving acceptance of him drove the guilt away, gentle affection and comfort coming to replace it. "Why? Why do you continue to accept me even though I've done so many things in the past that I can never hope to atone for? Why do you continue to hold me close to you when you know that I could do the same to you, whether it was intentional or not? If it was anyone else, they would have been disgusted, afraid." Kenshin needed to hear the answer badly. 

She sniffled slightly. "But I'm not anyone else, am I? All of us here, we're not just everybody else; first and foremost, we are your friends, which means that we'll stick with you through thick and thin; past, present and future. You were ours, as Sou-chan said, when you stepped through that door. We accepted you, knowing that you had your own secrets to keep, things that you didn't want others to know. We accepted you, knowing that you could have been anything or anyone before you met us, but it doesn't matter anymore now." 

Kaoru pushed his bangs away from his eyes to see glimmering amethyst. "We accept you because we know that for all the actions that you did, there was a valid reason to back them up. Some of the things that happened to you and your sister were things that you had no control over. How can we blame you for things that you are not guilty of? We understand, more than anything else, the kinds of things that you were forced to go through; in that, we are bound together by similar pain." 

She kissed his eyelids softly, continuing to talk. "I continue to hold you close because I love you, baka. Even if we were not HalfSouls, I would continue to love you, so get that through your thick brain, Kenshin." Her lips quirked up into a half-smile as her ocean blue eyes held his. "Do you understand why now? I do this because I want to, not because I feel obliged to. I know that you'll never hurt me on purpose, but if it ever comes to that, then I don't _ever_ want you to feel guilty. You—" Her words were lost under the crush of his lips against hers and she surrendered to the kiss. 

_Don't say that koishii_. The same words repeated all over again. _Don't ever say that it'll come to that, because it won't! It won't!_ His kisses were desperate even as his mind denied the words that she had said. The familiar electricity twinged between them and they found themselves in the recesses of their minds again. Crystals holding memories glinted in the light as Kenshin held Kaoru so close that her body melded into his. 

"Don't say that something like that will ever happen koishii. Because if it did, I don't know how I'd ever be able to live with myself. I can't lose you, Kaoru. I know I'm being selfish but I _need_ you, like water, like air. Don't say that I'll do something stupid like kill you with my own hands! Don't say that you'll try to save me in the midst of battle even though I'd tired out and half dead! Don't Kaoru, don't!" One of the nearby crystals flared a dark blue-gray before returning to its original colour. 

She reached up to make him look at her. "You know what my answer is Kenshin. Can _you_ promise me that you wouldn't be put in my position and do what I would do for you? Can you safely say that you wouldn't try to stop my death if I was in harm's way even at the cost of your own life? It's like asking me for the moon, itoshii; it is something that I would want to promise you, but you and I both know that I would be lying if I said that I could do that." She placed a hand upon his heart, fingers splayed against the fabric of his sweater. "My heart acts as it wills, just as your heart does; you know that even if our minds refuse it, our bodies will act differently. If you would throw your life away just to save me, then why wouldn't I? It is a reciprocal need, Kenshin, please understand that; I need you just like you need me. I cannot give you promises for the things that I know I cannot hold true to, just like I cannot promise that we will be able to come home unscathed from every mission." 

She rested her forehead against his, noses and lips touching. Some of the desperation seemed to leave him and he spoke, his lips brushing against hers, eyes closed. "I know that it's impossible to ask that of you, Kaoru, but can you blame me for trying? I want you to be safe and sound, even though we work in a trade such as ours. And you are right, koishii. I would do anything in my power, even give my life if it meant that you would live." Kenshin's eyes opened now to meet the endless blue depths of her eyes. "I understand, I understand now what shishou was trying to say to me all those years. I never really valued my life before I met you Kaoru; I was merely living for a means to meet the end, wanting to die half the time so that I would be free from this world. I would have put my life on the line for anybody, not caring whether I would be alive or not at the end of it." 

"I finally realise now that my recklessness and disregard for my life caused my sister's death; it was what caused me to go into such an animalistic rage, and I understand now that if I keep doing something stupid like that, I'll lose all of you." He pulled back from their contact, looking away shamefaced. Kaoru's palm on his cheek made him turn back. Her eyes were gentle as she smiled at him. "But its still not too late to make amends, itoshii. You're still here. _We're_ still here. The future is uncertain, and that is why we should make the most of every day, ne? That's why you should remember that your life is not yours to give alone; all of us who are part of your life have a say in it as well, baka." 

Kenshin's lids were hooded, sooty eyelashes against his cheek. "What did I do to deserve such a wonderful woman like you, Kaoru?" She tugged at his hair, making him face her before moving in to touch her lips to his. 

"Because you deserve no less." 

Notes: 

(1) See? Enishi's telepathy powers are so strong that he can screw around with minds so very easily, and that is why he is able to block Katsura's visions. Does that answer your questions? 

Dictionary 

Tadaima – I'm back 

Okaeri – Welcome home 

Daijoubu da yo – I'm fine 

Koishii – beloved, what men call their girlfriend or wife 

Shishou – master 

Nani – what? 

Itoshii – beloved, how women usually address their boyfriend

Arigatou – thank you 

Baka – idiot 

Onegai – please 

Minna – everyone 

Gomen ne – I'm sorry 

A/N: Phew~ yet another chapter done. See? Everything about Tomoe and Enishi has now been brought into the open (and it's no surprise that Kenshin's getting another inferiority complex thing coming on). *Now* you know where Kenshin got his paranormal powers from, and some questions have been answered as to why Enishi's after Kenshin's guts (again?). And excess KxK WAFF once again. I swear, I specialise in this kind of stuff or something! Well, hope ya'll enjoyed that chapter, and I'll see you in the next update!! In the next chapter: Megumi finally shows up! _ I can hear all the cheers from the Megumi and Sano fans now. An Aoshi and Misao heart-to-heart will also be there, so that's extra happiness for both AxM and SxM fans! KxK fans need not worry, coz KxK fluff will be sure to show up soon enough! 


	20. Chapter 19: Come Undone

Disclaimer: We've been through this before – I don't own Kenshin & co. and neither do I own Ran & co. Don't own Flame of Recca or the rights to the soulmate principle either. Happy happy joy joy? 

A/N: Sorry for the long wait people, was really busy both last week and this week, and this is why this chapter took forever to write. Anyway, it's up now, so happy ne? Ah, everyone who's been asking for Megumi will be relieved that she is *finally* turning up. Sorry for the long wait to all Megumi fans, but I needed to wait for the right time to bring her in. And this is it! So rejoice, all ye. Some AoshixMisao fluff as well for the AxM fans. Ah, killing two birds with one stone at the same time sure is good. Meh. Whatever di-doody, here is yet another mission chapter, so enjoy! OOCness abound. Dark and angst-ridden chapter! Read at your own risk! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Yumiko – Glad that you like it so far! I'll try to update ASAP when I can, so keep reading ne? thanks for R&Ring! 

Eeevee – Lol yeah! O_O the sky must be falling; Sano's actually giving advice that's actually sound for once! Hehe ^^;; Kenshin's got to get speeches given to him so that he can get it through his thick (Kenshin: Hey! I'm not thick!) brain sometimes, especially what with the 'I'm so tainted and unworthy' jive that he always gets. Ooh, you enjoyed the WAFF? XD glad that you did, that I am! Well, yesh ^^ unfortunately (or fortunately according to how you want to see it!) I have to bring in Meg; what fun would it be without the Megitsune teasing the Tori-atama and vice versa? ^^ Well, don't worry, this time Megumi won't be idiotic enough to go after Kenshin coz she'll have her hands full anyway XD Mwahhaha~ Thanks for R&Ring and hope ta see you around in the next chapter too! 

Kaoru23 – Hey girl! Yeah, school loves to eat up time huh? Yesh, your reviews do good XD but well anyway, the more the better! Or should I say the more *quality* ones the better ^^ but hey, everything is all good and well. Ah, I hate complicating love triangles and all that whatnot; it's not as if they don't have their hands full already dealing with the rest of normal life but lol, I'm not a KenshinxTomoe fan either ^^;; glad that you enjoyed the chapter and good luck with school and homework! Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chappie! 

Asuka-chan2 – Hehe, I'm glad that you're enjoying it so much ne! ^^ I try my best to combine story elements and all, and it's really fun to write. Yesh, I love KxK WAFFiness too (lol, which might explain why I write so much of it). Hopefully my story does incorporate elements of humour, sci-fi/paranormal abilities, angst and romance so that its an all-rounder ^^ hehen~… Ah, you're not a fan of the typical Megumi? Well, look at the bright side ;) she won't be all over Kenshin this time 'round coz she'll have her hands full dealing with Sano! Mwahaha XD well, thanks for R&Ring and hope ta see you around in the chapters to come! 

Dragona 2007 – Yup! I love writing fluff! Glad that you enjoyed it and here's the next chapter already! Thanks for R&Ring and enjoy! 

KeNsHiN – Mmm…glad that you enjoyed that chapter, and that Kenshin's past is now cleared up, there's still Megumi's and Aoshi's to clear up too! So yeah, now you know what went on between Kenshin and Enishi. Finally the last of the main characters shows up (sure took long enough huh? Lol), and I'm sorry for the long wait, but anyways, hope that you enjoy this chapter too! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Cherry - ^^ Ah KxK fluff is always nice to read; glad that you enjoyed that chapter! Wow o_O you're the only person who read the questions and answered them _ just goes to show how many people actually read author's notes ne? oh well. Hrm…I *might* decide to write an faq after I'm done with the story, but there's still quite a way to go, so I haven't made a decision yet. It would more or less be a compiling of all the notes in the story so that people can just easily refer to them when they get confused and stuff. Lol, thanks for the advice on that guy o_O as for whether he likes one of my friends… *_* they um…are both guys! ^^;; nah, he just loves to bother us, but well, the running away tactic seems to work lots, so unless he gets really unhandleable, then we'll be ok. Thanks for answering the questions and R&Ring! Hope that you enjoy this chapter too! 

Elisa ang – Ooh, new reviewer ne? Glad that you loved that chapter, and I'll try to update ASAP! Thanks for R&Ring! 

InuYasha22 – Yeah, that was an extra fluffy chapter, ^^;; I don't know why I keep on writing fluff, but it just seems to pop out of nowhere I tell ya. Glad to see that that was your fave chapter, and hopefully there'll be more to come! Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next update! 

Shahrezad1 – Yep, that was Weiss style, that it was. XD but who was in the car when it happened? Mwahah~ Glad that you enjoyed the chapter and my 'melding'/mix of the two pasts. Yup, Megumi sure is showing up in this chapter! Thanks for R&Ring and hope that you enjoy this chapter! 

? (Mseard@aol.com) - ^^; Glad that you're enjoying the story so far, and yeah, there'll be fluff in chapters to come, so just stick around. Thanks for R&Ring! 

The squirrel – Ah! Haven't seen you around in a while ^^ nice to have you back~ glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and yesh, I'll update ASAP. Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next update then! 

Irksome one – Yeah, totally evil Enishi. As it goes, Kenshin is (and probably always will be) a first class idiot. Well, at least he knows that people care now. It's probably hard for him to trust people and all coz of his past, ya know? So well… ah, "sou da ne" means something along the lines of "That's true" or "I guess you're right". It's kinda hard to categorize Japanese phrases half the time, so I worry about the accuracy of my translations, lol. As for my Japanese software thingy that I use, its called JWPCE; sorry, I don't remember the web addy for it since I downloaded the thing like 2 years ago ^^;; but just type it into a search engine and you should be able to find it. Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next chapter! 

Dragontamer9741 – Oro~ o_O that's a first! *gasp* what's the world coming to?! Lol, don't mind me. Ah, my guess is that Sou-chan likes to visit you ne? ^^ Lol, well you can borrow him whenever you feel like it, as long as I have him back for the next chapter, hehe. Glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for R&Ring and (here it comes!) hope to see you again next chapter! ^^;; what? You can't get rid of it *that* easily! Lol. 

The Girl Who Cried Oro – Mmm…KxK WAFF. Can't seem to stop writing it @_@ I think it's an addiction! Lol, it's good for all those KxK fans out there though. Yup, an SDK one-shot, Kyo's POV. Totally limey stuff. Did you read it already? ^^;;; Eh~ that was like my first lemon ever so I hope that it isn't too overboard or anything. I've already seen one SDK/RK crossover here somewhere in the RK section. Meh, they really should put one up, but I guess that it hasn't gotten all that much recognition yet, so SDK fans like us will just have to wait *sigh*. Yeah, I love Project Battousai so far! ^^ wonder if he's ever gonna regain his memory though. Do update soon! I'll be waiting to read it! Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Flyinangel777 – Glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Missaw - ^^ both Hiko and Saitou rock in their own respective ways, that they do. I love their crazy sarcasm and the way that they love ridiculing Kenshin ^^;;; he just totally asks for it sometimes! Yeah, you are right; Kenshin wouldn't be Kenshin without his inferiority complex. Glad that you enjoyed the KxK WAFF, and more SanoxMeg stuff to come your way soon! Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Right…let's get to Megumi before you people murder me! 

Chapter 19: Come Undone 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

**_Deep endless pit that yawns to eternity. _**

**_This is where I live, this is where you'll find me. _**

**_If you look hard enough you'll see _**

**_Only the shell is left. _**

**_Bring my soul back to me; _**

**_I lost it so very long ago. _**

**_Sweet misery _**

**_It'll find me. – Takani Megumi _**

****

The nervous adrenaline fuelled her muscles as she ran down the deserted corridor, heavy breaths punctuating the silence while her mid-back length raven hair slapped against her skin. Her eyes darted around quickly, trying to find the best exit; she had to be quick or they would find her. _He _would find her. It wasn't the first time that she'd tried to escape, but maybe this time she would be successful, after the numerous failed attempts. The fact that they always caught her didn't deter her from trying to leave the hellhole that she'd been in ever since she was 17, and she certainly wasn't going to start now. She would rather die than give them the satisfaction of letting them break her futile hopes, so she kept on going no matter what. 

An involuntary gasp left her lips as the silhouette of a man stepped out from behind a corner in front of her. Fear leapt up in her heart, and disappointment surged through her body again. _He_ had found her again. 

"And where do _you_ think you're going, sweetling?" Goosebumps rose on her skin at the tone of the fake sickly sweet voice. She wisely chose to remain silent. It was something she had learned quickly after being subject to being beaten within an inch of her life when she retorted after the first few times she had tried to escape. He stepped fully into the moonlight, which filtered through the window, illuminating his cruel features. 

"How many times has it been now, sweetling? Fifty? Sixty? A hundred?" He shook his head in fake disappointment, _tsk_ing sounds in his throat. "You never learn, do you?" She stood her ground as his shoes clacked on the tiles of the floor, moving closer towards her. The hard slap came crashing down on her cheek, just as it always did, and her head was flung to the side. Still, she turned defiant eyes on him as she wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of her lips; it was a customary practice by now, and she knew how to let her cheek move along with the direction of his palm so that it wouldn't hurt as much. 

"Take her away." He turned his back on her once more as a mass of security guards took his place, hauling her roughly by the arms back to the room where she had come from. She closed her eyes in silent acceptance of her fate, sending out an unheard plea to anybody, nobody, in her mind, just before the needle entered her arm and the morphine pumped through her bloodstream, rendering her unconscious to the world. 

_Take me away from this place…_

~*~ 

The knock on his door made him look up from his polishing of the blades on his bugnuks. It was Kenshin, all dressed in assassin garb, flaming red hair tied up in a topknot and sheathed katana held in one hand who stood there. His face was serious as he said: 

"It's time." 

Sanosuke nodded as he unfolded his lanky body from the cross-legged seat he had taken up on the floor, rising with the grace of a sleek panther. Seeing that Sanosuke was almost ready to go, Kenshin exited the man's room, moving towards Soujirou's. The spiky-haired man pulled his gloves on, then proceeded to tie the red bandana just below the longer bangs of his hair to keep them from falling from his face. Grabbing a nearby wakizashi, he tucked it into the belt of his slim jeans, along with the small handgun there. Other assassin groups would rather use more modern weapons, but Black Dawn had been specifically trained to fight and kill with more hands-on combat, although they were also skilled with guns. These they took with them as a precaution that was never really required. 

He reached for his mask that hung on a hook behind his door. 

_Take me away!_ (1) Sanosuke's head snapped up with surprise at the mental voice that had seemingly come out of nowhere. It was definitely nobody from Black Dawn, so where was it coming from? The voice came again. _Get me out of here!_ He shook his head as if clearing it. As he pulled on his boots he muttered to himself, "Shit, I must be going nuts or something, hearing strange voices in my head when I'm not even a telepath. Stress, that must be it." Just as he finished tying the laces of his boots, Kaoru stuck her head into his room. 

"Ready to go?" Was the soft inquiry. 

"Aa." He flicked the lights off, closing the door behind him with a decisive click. The pair made their way down the stairs where the rest of Black Dawn were waiting for them, along with Aoshi, Misao, Tsubame and Yahiko. Katsura had wanted all four members of Black Dawn to participate in the mission, so they had had to ask the two spies over to keep watch over their charges while they were gone. Aoshi nodded at Sanosuke as their eyes met and Kaoru hugged the two teenagers before standing back with Soujirou and Kenshin who were standing near the door silently. Black Dawn took their leave silently, saying nothing as they left. Kaoru was the last one out the door but was called by Aoshi just as she was about to shut the door. 

"Kaoru." She turned to regard him, gloved hand still resting on the doorknob. The lanky man let one of his rare smiles show as he ruffled her hair slightly. "Ki o tsukete." She returned the smile, and the door clicked shut behind her. Misao came up behind the okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu, slipping her petite hand into his and squeezing it gently. 

"They'll be alright." Her voice was reassuring. He nodded absently as he squeezed back before her hand slipped out of his again and she made her way back to the two teenagers who were sitting on the couch. "So." Misao beamed at them, all genki again. "Whaddaya feel like doing? We could play a few rounds of Tekken TAG on the PS2, or go if you like." Yahiko shrugged; it didn't really matter to him as long as there was something to keep him entertained. It wasn't as if there was much to do when the others weren't around anyway, and he didn't know either of the adults very well either. 

"Whatever floats your boat, itachi-musume." At the sound of the nickname, Misao was hard pressed not to zip over to Yahiko's side and strangle the young Empath; she absolutely hated being called a weasel! "I'm not a itachi-musume, Yahiko-CHAN!" Aoshi shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips as they exploded into an argument, Tsubame's gaze flicking between them as insults flew back and forth. 

It was going to be a long night. 

~*~ 

Megumi's eyes opened to the darkness of her small room that was more of a cellar than a room. She sat up on the bed slowly; there were still traces of the morphine in her bloodstream and the grogginess that she felt was proof enough of it. 'You would think that after so long I would get used to stuff like this.' She thought bitterly to herself. Still, five years of imprisonment in Takeda Kanryuu's place seemed to have no effect on increasing her immunity to the morphine. Pulling her feet over the side of the bed, she leant against the wall, the coolness permeating through her thin clothes into her skin as she closed her eyes again, trying to get her thoughts straight. How long had this been going on? Images from the past filtered into her mind, unbidden, even as she tried to escape from them; memories only served as a painful reminder as to what she once had before Kanryuu had killed her family right in front of her eyes as she hid in the tiny kitchen cupboard, eyes wide at the scene, but helpless to do anything but stare. The Bakufu had then burnt her home down to the ground when they took her, eliminating the rest of the evidence that they had been murdered. 

Her long raven hair cascaded over her shoulders as her shoulders heaved against the painful memories and tears threatened to get the best of her, desperate to squeeze themselves out of the corners of her eyes. It hadn't taken much to turn her from a scared young teenager into a jaded young woman who obeyed Kanryuu's orders so that she could live another day, if just to plot her revenge against him for murdering her family in cold blood. She had withstood the numerous experiments and blood tests as they tried to analyse what cells in her blood allowed her to be a Healer (2); they believed that her cells held their passport to immortality, and it was the only reason that she was kept alive and kidnapped in the first place. Still, that didn't stop them from inflicting painful wounds into her back with the whips that they used periodically when she went against their orders one too many times or tried to escape. If she had been any ordinary woman without paranormal abilities of healing, Megumi was sure that she would have been raped a long time ago. As it was, they knew close to zilch about her gift, and so were not sure as to whether the gift was linked to her virginity or not, and this was the only thing that kept her safe. 

She wrapped her arms around herself in an empty hug, drawing her knees up towards her chest as she rocked herself slowly on the balls of her feet upon the bed. Megumi hated being different, hated having this Healing gift of hers; it had brought nothing but trouble right from the start. It was something that she had tried to hide early in childhood; children labelled her as a demon, as children often do with things that they don't understand, and the only safety and acceptance that she could find was within her own family. It was because of her gift that her family had been killed, and it was because of it she was kept here now. A bitter smile lit her face now. It was also because of her gift that she was still untouched (at least sexually) by the scientists. However, her gift wasn't the only thing that Kanryuu had been after; Megumi came from a family that had been doctors dating all the way back to the Meiji Era. She had been something of a child prodigy, entering the medical school in Aizu at the age of 13, and she had finished them by the age of 16 (3). It was one of the things that had gotten her noticed, but the other… 

She had been forced to use her healing abilities in broad daylight when a young boy had almost been crushed dead by a falling streetlight. In the midst of the calamity, Megumi had slipped her hand under the boy's shirt, easily knitting the bones and muscles and stopping the bleeding in minutes, but it seemed that she wasn't as safe as she thought she had been, because in a month's time, the Bakufu had come for her and her family. And here she was now, someone who kept her emotions away under lock and key lest they tried to use it as her weakness, and she wore a mask like ice. Her eyes opened themselves again slowly at the sound of faint screams that seemed to be coming from the lower compound. Her brows knitted together slightly; could it be that there were people who were here to take down Kanryuu? 

Megumi slid off the bed, emotions and memories locked away from now as she made her way to the small window of the cellar/room, cold concrete under her feet. There was another scream that was louder than before, and her eyes widened fractionally as she saw the reason why. There were four figures dressed in black in the compound; three held katanas, while the tallest figure seemed to be fighting with what looked like blades that protruded from the knuckles on his gloves. The fluidity and grace of their movements made her breath hitch slightly, even though dark stains on the ground were pooling as the result of their actions. It was as if she was held spellbound by their movements. 

What she didn't expect though, was for the tallest one with spiky hair to stare straight up at her window, as if he knew she were there. She was taken aback by the seemingly cool expression that the hardened brown eyes held from what she could see through the mask that covered the top half of his face, and she felt as if she should know him. Megumi backed away from the window, out of his sight as her legs gave way from underneath her, and she sank to the ground in shock. 

'Who _is _he?' 

~*~ 

Sanosuke shook his head slightly as he padded after Kenshin, Kaoru and Soujirou silently, leaving the bodies of the security guards behind them. 'What the hell was _that_ all about?' He had felt as if someone was watching him, and when he had looked up, he was surprised to find that it was a woman who had been watching him from a high-up window. A strange sense of déjà vu had overcome him, leaving him slightly confused and very intrigued. From what he had seen, the woman had been extremely beautiful, with ebony-black hair that framed her face perfectly. The almost silent sound of Kenshin's sword slicing through the thick gate brought him back to reality as he berated himself. 'This is no time to be getting distracted, Sagara! Get with the darned program!' Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her. 

'Work first, think later!' The claws of his bugnuks sunk into the rib cage of yet another security guard easily, blades twisting through the flesh up towards his heart. In another second, he had slid the blades out of the guard, leaving the now dead man in a heap on the floor. The straight path that they had been following yawned off into four smaller ones, and the group nodded silently to each other as they separated, moving down each path; they would contact each other through the com links if they really needed to. _First to find the target reports to the others, either via com link or telepathy. Follow the mission objectives as per orders. _Kaoru's mental voice reminded them as they moved along their individual paths towards their goal. 

~*~ 

"Ne, Aoshi-sama." Misao looked up at Aoshi through sleepy eyes as she rested her head on the cushion in his lap. Tsubame and Yahiko had retired to their respective rooms after playing a few mad games of Twister, yawning widely. The young ninja was close to sleeping herself, but Aoshi, on the other hand was wide-awake. 

"Hmm?" He brushed a few bangs away from her face. 

"How did you get to know Kaoru-san and Soujirou-san?" Sleep clouded her senses as she put a hand over her mouth to hide a small yawn. If she had been more awake, she would have noticed that Aoshi tensed up slightly at the question. He smoothed a hand over her brow slowly before answering. 

"As Kaoru probably told you, I came to live with them when I was 10 after my mother entrusted me to Kamiya-san's care." There. That answer seemed safe enough. 

Misao frowned slightly. "But why?" 

"Why what?" 

"Why did you have to go live with them? What about your okaasan and otousan? Weren't they around?" She knew very well that she was delving into deep waters, but there was an incessant urge to know, even though she felt so very, very sleepy. 

"My mum died and my father left." He was trying hard not to talk in clipped tones; it was Misao he was talking to after all! 

Her dark green eyes opened to regard his. "Gomen nasai, Aoshi-sama." 

The tall man smiled gently at her. "Don't be, Misao. It's all in the past now. And it was my fault for snapping at you, anyway." 

"If I have nothing to apologize for, then you have nothing to apologize for either, Aoshi-sama." It was times like these that he understood just how much  
Misao meant to him, just how much she made him smile even after so much. 

"Hai hai. Now since you're so tired, then just go to sleep now." Misao nodded, closing her eyes again. A few minutes passed and soon Misao was asleep, her breathing slowed. He turned his eyes to the TV that was on mute, watching the images flicker by. Looking back to the sleeping beauty who was using his lap as her pillow, he leaned down to kiss her, even as his back protested at the movement. She mumbled slightly in her sleep, making him smile at her antics before turning his eyes skyward. 

'There's a reason for everything, koishii. And so too, there is a reason for my coldness that has held me back from society.' His eyes closed as he rested his head back upon the cushion of the couch. 'If you only knew.' 

~*~ 

Megumi's teeth bit into her tongue lightly as she picked the lock of her 'room' door in deep concentration. With all the hullabaloo that was going on downstairs, the security guards who normally roamed along the corridors outside her room would no doubt have left to deal with the issue, leaving her free to make her way out of the room and escape. She was a resourceful woman, and had somehow managed to find a piece of steel wire lying about in her room, promptly turning it into a lock pick. There was a click from the door and she turned the knob, able to open it now. The corridor was devoid of people as she stepped gingerly out of the room. Quickly assessing where the sound of distant yells were coming from, she followed them; the complex was large, and although she had almost escaped on several occasions, she had never come close to actually exploring the whole complex at all. 

As she made her way through the maze of corridors, her mind returned to the group of assassins – for that's what they had been doing: killing people! – or rather, to the tall spiky-haired assassin in particular. There was something about him that she couldn't describe; something that seemed to draw her to him. If she didn't know better herself, she would have said that it was almost as if there was some unstoppable attraction that drew her to him and him to her. The meeting of their eyes over the distance just minutes ago was more than platonic, and could even be described as electric. 

The sudden scuffling of feet from up ahead made her stop and a cowardly whimper followed. Another voice spoke up, a total contrast to the scared sounds that the first was making. 

"Where is she?" It was a low tenor sound, seemingly calm at first thought, but the tone that hid under it promised certain death for whomever he was speaking to. 

"I d-don't know what you're talking about." More shuffling and Megumi realised that it was Kanryuu, the cowering bastard; her eyes narrowed as she stood out of sight, behind the wall while the conversation progressed. 

"Don't try to play your funny games with me, you disgusting little shit. I know your type. Where is she?" Anger was creeping into the voice, as well as slight irritation. The raven-haired woman was getting curious as to who this 'she' they were talking about. Who on earth could it be? Kanryuu shifted further backwards as Sanosuke's bugnuks edged ever closer to his throat, close to cutting his skin and drawing blood. Megumi could only stare and listen to the scene in something akin to shocked fascination. The drug lord continued to cower under the unseen man's close-combat weapon, driving him further backwards into the corridor that Megumi was standing in, towards the back wall. She was so taken in by the scene unfolding before her that she failed to notice that Kanryuu glanced her way as he bumbled through gibberish sentences, seeing her as his way out of being killed by the tall assassin who stood in front of him. 

Shock registered on the woman's features momentarily when Kanryuu snapped an arm tight around her neck, and she felt the cool surface of a pistol to her temple. Sanosuke stiffened unnoticeably when he saw their retrieval mission began close to being killed, and his blood seemed to boil. Still, he refused to back down, even as mentally cursed the drug lord, and his hands tightened in their gloves, making the bugnuks extend to their full length as they extended to their full length. Megumi heard the gun click as Kanryuu pulled back the safety switch, yet she remained still and calm. Her eyes closed as if in acceptance of her final fate. 

'Is this how it ends?' 

~*~ 

The second-hand of the clock ticked silently as the minute hand clicked once to its destination. The grandfather clock struck a lonely chime that echoed and reverberated throughout the whole house, but only Aoshi was awake to hear it. Misao's head shifted within the cushion on his lap and his eyes flicked away from the TV to regard her as she mumbled something incomprehensible in her sleep. He cast his senses out and around the house, yet another spot check to check that there were no other presences except him and the teenagers in the house. Satisfied, he came back to himself, stroking Misao's cheek lightly with a rough finger. The questions that Misao had asked had stirred memories of his childhood that he had thought were long buried. Flashes of memory persisted and he shook his head slightly to clear it. Pain flickered for a moment before disappearing again. 

He sighed inwardly as Misao nuzzled her cheek into his palm unconsciously and he smiled wistfully. Now that he had somewhat shown his affections for Misao, he wanted to share everything with her too, and that included his wanting to tell her about his past. However, it was still something of a barrier for him, a reminder of why he had become the cold okashira that everybody was used to. 

'Still,' Aoshi mused to himself, 'even if I can't tell her when she's awake, at least I can try to tell her while she's asleep? At least it'll make it easier for me to tell her about it when I'm finally ready to do so.' That decided, he ran his thumb over her closed eyelids, listening to her soft breathing as he began his tale. 

"Ne, koishii. You're asleep now, and maybe this will reach your ears, and maybe it will not, but I'm sorry that I can't tell you this while you're awake yet. Still, now while you're asleep, my voice will reach you, and maybe subconsciously you'll still accept my past as part of me and so it won't be so horrendous if I tell you again when you're awake." There was no change in the young ninja's sleeping expression as he continued on in a soft voice. 

"My mother and father were both 'Shifters, both aware of their own heritage, and so alike, yet so different. Okaasan was in the Oniwa Banshuu, while otousan was actually just a normal civilian. How they ever came to meet is something that I will never know, but against all odds, they fell in love, got married and had me. I remember my mother's smile, so tender and sweet, yet underneath all that, she was a woman with a strong will to persevere throughout anything. My father…" Aoshi's voice faltered before he spoke again. "He was my role model back until I was five years old, and then…then everything changed. The happiness that we had had as a family was short-lived, because one day, without any reason, and without any warning, he just packed his bags and left. My mother, she cried, but yet she had known that such a thing was coming and I started to hate my father for making her cry like that, for leaving her to fend for herself and for me. Even after the pain that she went through, she never really changed, except that every time she smiled, a flicker of pain would be there in the curve of her lips, and the smile never really reached her eyes." 

The tall okashira closed his eyes in reminiscence as one long fingered hand rested lightly on Misao's forehead. "I swore to myself then that I would never let emotions touch me; I had seen what love had done to my mother, crushed her, killed her inside even though she tried so hard not to show it to me. At the young age of five I started to lock my emotions away, and created a mask for myself to hide from the world. We lived like that for a few years, detached from the world as our lives went on, until yet another painful day. My mother…she was a Seer as well as a 'Shifter, and I think she foresaw her own death, so she went to her brother, Kaoru and Soujirou's father, telling them to look after me when she…left this world." A grotesque image of his mother's body flashed momentarily in his mind as he recounted the events that occurred. So lost was he in his memories that he never even realised that Misao had actually woken up and was hanging on to his every word. She kept up the pretence of being asleep, breathing slow and deep, but her heart was clenched in pain for her okashira. 'I'm sorry for bringing back such painful memories…Aoshi.' 

He spoke, his voice haunted, oblivious to the fact that she was awake. "I was walking back from school one day at the age of nine, when suddenly I turned in upon the road that my house was on, only to find that the whole street was filled with people. The sound of sirens filled the air, and already…already I knew that something had happened to my mother. I remember pushing through the crowd desperately, but even then, I wasn't prepared for what I might find." The muscles in his arm tightened almost painfully before he forced himself to relax again. "It was a sight that I'll never forget for the rest of my life. There right in the middle of all the chaos, was my mother's bloody corpse. Her body had been ripped apart, and her head lay not far away from one of her hands." Aoshi quashed the strangled sob that seemed to want to rise up and envelop him. 

"I could never understand though, why there was such a beautiful smile on her face. A real, true smile that I had not seen after my father left. I stood there in shock, but then a familiar scent filtered by me, and I _knew_ that is was my **father** who had done this to her." If Misao had not been shocked before, she surely was now, but outwardly, she gave no reaction even as she bit the inside of her cheek. 'Kami-sama…finding out something like that would drive anyone mad.' 

"Just like I never knew why she was smiling when she died, I never found out the reason why my father had killed her either. My primal instincts as a 'Shifter took over even as cold rage filled my mind. Quickly I left the place to pursue my father's scent, and 'shifted completely into full panther form, hunting him down. I found him finally, sitting by a river in human form, his clothes bloody from what I could see at his back, and I leapt at him. It didn't matter that he was my father, but he had hurt my mother, and I was only bringing retribution to him. He turned to me as my claws ripped into his skin, but in his eyes there was a haunted look; he knew what he had done, and he knew that it was me, his son who would take his life. Yet, he did nothing even as my fangs closed in upon his neck and snapped it easily. He left no answers as to why he did what he did, but there was that same strange smile upon his face that my mother had had upon hers even as he died. I buried him, then washed the blood off myself in human form. The whole year I wandered about with no aim, living off the streets, until finally, one day, I found the Kamiya-dojo. He was standing there, as if he was expecting me, and he recognized me at once as his sister's son and took me in, no questions asked." The tale was done, dull pain returned. 

Aoshi twisted one of Misao's bangs around his finger softly. "What say you now, koishii? Now that you know what I've done. Can you say that you love me still? Can you say that you won't feel disgusted after knowing that I killed my own father with my own hands? What say you now?" Her unexpected answer made him start slightly in his seat as her clear emerald gaze held his. 

"Yes I can." She pushed herself off the couch as she sat up to look into his eyes, her forehead resting against his gently. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. As 'Shifters, our primal instincts take over sometimes, and we can't always control the consequences." 

"But that was unjustifiable. I killed my own father." She interrupted him. 

"And he killed her, did he not? I'm not saying that what you did is right, but I'm not saying what you did is wrong either. What you did was what you believed in, and at that moment, you believed, no, you knew that he had killed your mother, and it was what took over. In that moment, it was clear to you what you had to do, even though you knew that you might regret it later. Do we not often do things that we later regret? Is that not how it always has been and always will be? Isn't that why we live in the present, and not in the past?" Misao stared deep into his eyes, driving her words home. "Isn't that why we try not to have any regrets? There are some things that we will never know the answers to, and maybe, just maybe this is one of them." 

"Had I been in your shoes, I would have done pretty much the same thing, and maybe even more. Who is to say what would have, or could have been otherwise? The past is now only that: the past, and nothing we say or do now can change it. Yet, it is not something that you can leave behind, because it is irrevocably, part of who you are now, and why we are sitting here together at this instant." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling his head into her small frame. "Whatever happened then has already happened, and I think no less of you now than I did then. You are always, and will always be the Aoshi that I love. I am here for you, as you have always been there for me. So let me comfort you now just as you have done for me." 

He breathed in the minty air that always seemed to surround her, a lone tear slipping down his cheek as he buried his face into her shoulder, wrapping his arms in turn around her petite frame. 

"Arigatou, koishii." Came the muffled reply. 

~*~ 

"I thought you said you didn't know what I was talking about?" Sanosuke deadpanned even as Kanryuu's hold on Megumi tightened around her neck. The woman seemed resigned to her fate as she stood there rigid, eyes closed, face blank. 

"I know who you are. That group in the Ishinshishi who's been messing up all our plans lately." Kanryuu's eyes narrowed sinisterly as he realization dawned on his slow brain. "You've killed many of my subordinates lately and if you think you're going to get away with it, then you're wrong!" He spat the last line over Megumi's shoulder in fake bravado, but the shaking hand that held the gun betrayed him. The small movement didn't go unnoticed by Sano. 

"Only because they choose to harm those who are helpless and innocent to filth like you." Came the cool reply. "Unhand her." Megumi's eyes slipped opened, surprised as she heard Sanosuke's response. She had heard about people like them; those who struck back at criminals who slipped past the law unseen, like the hunters of shadows who eluded the light. 'Are they…could they be here for me?' The possibility seemed unprecedented to her, no one had ever come before, but now, all of a sudden, they were here? 'If it means getting out of here, then I'm taking that chance of whether they're actually here for me or not!' 

Short bitter laughter answered Sanosuke's demand. "Think you can fool me? The moment I let go of her is the moment that you'll kill me! I'm not that stupid! She's worth millions to me, and if I have to die then I'm taking her along with me!" 

Sanosuke's eyes narrowed dangerously as he pursed his lips. He met Megumi's eyes for a split second before directing the angry gaze at Kanryuu. 

"So be it." 

A gunshot resounded loudly in the hallway, sound twisting through the whole complex. In their respective spots in the building, Soujirou, Kaoru and Kenshin froze momentarily in their movements, inclining their heads towards the sharp sound. The thought ran through their minds unanimously. 

'Sano!' 

Notes: 

(1) Ah, what *is* this voice that Sano can here? Hehe, see if you can't fit the puzzle pieces together for yourself! 

(2) Yet another lil' ability in this story that you're gonna deal with. Megumi is undoubtedly a Healer. Healers have the ability to mend wounds instantaneously, but at the cost of their own energy. It doesn't matter how big the wound is, but if the Healer has enough energy and the strength and perseverance to heal the wound, it will be done. However, there is a drawback. Healers cannot heal themselves with their own power. XD Idea snatched from Flame of Recca's Yanagi. 

(3) Yes, yes, yes. I know that medical school takes at least 5-6 years or so, but just humour me, ok? It's required for the sake of the story :p 

Dictionary 

Wakizashi – short sword 

Aa – male informal way of assenting to something 

Ki o tsukete – be careful 

Itachi-musume – weasel girl. Misao's nickname 

Koishii – beloved. Affectionate term used by a man to address his wife/girlfriend 

Okaasan – Mother 

Otousan – Father 

A/N: Mwahahah~ XD Just had to leave it hanging there; haven't done any evil cliffhanger goodness in the last few chapters, so I couldn't resist. Love it? Hate it? Reviews pleaaase! Mucho OOC characters in this chapter. Sorry for taking forever to write it, but I was really busy with school and all the other miniscule details of real life. I've got a 3-day weekend this weekend, so I'll be able to write just a *teeny* little bit faster, and then I've got the whole mid-term week off in two weeks time. XD Then I'll be able to write! Yay~ Ooh yes, probably gonna be posting up a KxK oneshot songfic sometime soon when I'm done with it; I've gotten halfway through it right now. Anyways, in the next chapter, [yet] another unexpected event occurs, drawing the group closer and putting Megumi's abilities to use. Thanks to all for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next update!


	21. Chapter 20: Poison

Disclaimer: By now, everyone knows that I hold no rights over WK or RK. The fic *does* belong to me though! 

A/N: 'ello again peeps! Here's yet another chapter of NTK, and I'm running out of interesting A/N stuff to say, so hope you enjoy this chapter too~ More angstiness and foul language to occur. Btw, if you haven't already read the prologue, then go read that too! Just a little something that I put up a few days earlier to give a bit of an 'explanation' to the fic. Sorry that it took so long to put this chapter up _ I was busy during the week with a ton of school stuff, and then I got addicted to .hack//sign and Get Backers over the weekend from the anime that my friend lent to me, and was busy watching the Tsuioku hen as well as Weiss Kreuz Gluhen. ^^;; And was busy attending a BBQ too! OOCness alert. Enjoy! 

Reviewers' Space! 

Aryanne – Wow! Thanks for reading my story! XD I love yours! Ah, the movie which had Tom Cruise in it and pre-cogs as well would be Minority Report. That really rocked. I wanted Sou to be on the good side for once, since he's always getting the bad nuts and all that. Yup, Kenshin is indeed a Dreamwalker…oh yes! I got the idea from watching too much Roswell episodes. I liked the idea and thought that I could use it in one of my fics, so in it went. Yup, Sano's humour is definitely a real clincher, and it's just so…Sano. ^^ Anyways, thanks for R&Ring and maybe I'll see you 'round in the next few chapters too! 

Kaoru23 – Hey there girl! ^^ Yesh, I left a major cliff hanger. XD Mwahaha~ Glad you enjoyed the AoshixMisao fluff…lol, probably won't occur again for quite some time to come ^^; But it's a good thing that you love my stuff, right? (At least I think that's right! :p) Lol, good luck on your project and don't you *dare* die on me coz here's the next update! See you in the next chapter and thanks for R&Ring girl! 

Eeevee – Yes, I have to admit that I enjoy being evil! XD Mwaha~ Glad that you enjoyed the chappy, and hopefully you *will* be able to tolerate Meg, ne? Thanks for R&Ring and see ya again in the next chapter or so. 

System Freeze – Wow, thanks for reviewing then, ne? Glad that you like the story so far, and hope you stick around for the chapters to come! Thanks once again for R&Ring! 

KeNsHiN – Ah, but that's what cliffhangers are for ne? For you to hang off so you want more ne? Glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and hope to see you again in the chapters to come. Thanks for R&Ring! 

Iram – That's no problem at all, and it's great that you're reading anyhow. I'm glad that you think that I've mixed in all the elements in the fic well, and well, what can I say? =) I try my best. Yep, the story plot definitely thickens from hereon. Thanks for R&Ring and hope that you enjoy my story enough to keep on reading as the updates show up! 

Riokai Guardian of the Ni – Glad that you like it! Will update ASAP! 

Hikari no Eien ni – Thanks for R&Ring! Hope to see you again in the chapters to come! 

Net – Ah, gomen, I'll try to space out my lines. _ Sorry, forget to do that sometimes. Thanks for R&Ring, and hope to see you again in the next chapter! 

Baka-Ryu - ^^;; Lol, just flick Kanryuu huh? Wish granted :p Angst is good, yesh it is ^^ Read on to find out what happened to Sano and Meg ne? Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Dragona 2007 - ^^ Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and that you like Megumi's Gift! Will update ASAP according to my busy schedule! Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next chapter! 

Dragowolf – Sano and Meg? You'll find out in this chapter, that you will. Some stuff about Misao's parents was mentioned back in Chapter 10 or 11 I think, so go back and read that ne? Yes, Misao has special abilities just like the rest of them; she's actually a 'Shifter just like Aoshi (refer to Chapter 6). Here's the next chapter, and thanks for R&Ring! See you in the next update too! 

Battousia-crazy64 – thanks for R&Ring and I'll try to update ASAP! 

Shahrezad1 – XD Yesh, evil cliffhanger indeed. I couldn't possibly just kill her off when I just introduced her ne? Nah, can't have an angry Sano breathing fire down my back _ still need to finish my exams before I get whacked off into oblivion, thank you very much ^^; Happy to know that you find her 'talent' interesting and thanks for R&Ring! See you again in the next update! 

ArchAngel Of Fire – Hrm…Aoshi's and Misao's relationship will probably progress more slowly than, say, Kenshin's and Kaoru's _ it's just that I'm more of a KxK fan, so urm…more fluffy stuff will be written about KK rather than AxM. I'll try my best though, so please be patient ne? Oro~ who said anything about killing Megumi? ;) Thanks for R&Ring and hope you enjoy this chapter too! 

Rekka's Angel – That's no problem at all, just review when you've got time, ne? ^^ Mm…yeah, I probably will make a FAQ when the whole story is done and then splat it onto the last chapter or something. But that's probably only gonna be happening near the end of the year though _ College is a pain in the ass sometimes. Thanks, my fanfic writing skills are kinda nonexistent, considering that this is only my 2nd fic ^^;;; hope that I will indeed get better in time. Ah, all questions shall be answered by the end of this chapter (and knowing me, there are probably gonna be more questions too…). Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the next update! 

Chris37 - ;) Ah, all will be revealed in this chapter. Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next chapter! 

Flyinangel777 – Ah, I try to do my best, and glad that you enjoyed the last chapter! Will try to update ASAP, but I'm not guaranteeing anything! Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Lost Anime Angel – Wow, I'm glad you liked it that much to keep reading everything the whole way through ^^ I feel flattered. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll update ASAP! Hope to see you again in the next chapter! 

Missaw – Lol, Oro-chan is just too much fun to tease. Ah, glad that the AxM WAFF kinda made up for the lack of KxK WAFF. ^^ But it's back again in this chapter XD Mwaha~ You liked the action scenes? Glad ya did girl, lol, it's tough to find the right words to describe the complexity of the situation sometimes, but when you get the words, then it all flows together really nicely. Ah, the only good Kanryuu is a dead Kanryuu! =) Cliffies are wonderful things to use XD lol, yesh, I know that I'm evil (as always). Lol, sorry about the mix-up for the prologue thing, but thanks for reading it anyway ^^ 'Twas supposed to be a bit of a bonus thingy for all the readers, _ but now it looks as if it's a bit of a compensation for a late chapter coming out. *sigh* But anyway, thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Asuka-chan2 – Ororo? o_O;; ^^ I loves you toos! Lol, glad that you're enjoying the story so much. Yeah, Kenshin and Kaoru are really made for each other, but don't worry =) Sano and Meg will get their acts together soon enough if I have anything to do with it XD Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the next chapter! 

Irksome one – XD Yesh, evil cliffhanger indeed! Oh, FYI, I didn't double post the last chapter, but added a prologue right before chapter one, so sorry for the confusion. No problem, hope the translator helps you ^^ Glad you loved the last chapter and thanks for R&Ring! Hope to see you 'round again in the next! 

DragonTamer9741 – Lol *scratches head* Yup, I remembered! Oro~ is Sou-chan having fun? Must be better than helping me study ^^;;; Glad that you enjoyed the chapter!*pulls Sou out from the phone wire* Well, I'll send him back again soon to play, so until then, hope that you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for R&Ring! ;) See you in the next one! 

Punky1 – Yup, Megumi has (finally) shown up! Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the next chapter! 

Mseard@aol.com - Glad that you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be up soon! Wow, your friends are reading it too? Kewl. Here's the long awaited chapter! 

CurlsofSerenity – Ah, she can't die! Lol, I'm not so evil as to bring in one of the main characters and then kill her off straightaway ^^; Yup, Kanryuu is gonna get his ass kicked badly in this one! Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next update! 

InuYasha22 – The first name last name thing? Well, actually, the drug lord's name is Takeda Kanryuu, following the Japanese system of first name last name, right? Normally (from what I know anyway), when you're being extremely polite to someone, you use their last name; in this case, Kanryuu's would be Takeda. First names are used when you know someone really well, or when you're being out right rude. In this case, Megumi would be using his name as the out right rude concept, so she wouldn't be being respectful and stuff. Hope that answers your question! Thanks for R&Ring! 

The Girl Who Cried Oro – Yep, Megumi has weird powers too ^^;;; lol, this sure is turning really paranormal huh? Oh well. Glad that you enjoyed both the last chapter *and* the SDK fic. Lol, Kyo would probably *never* act that way, but we don't really know the story behind him and Sakuya ne? Maybe he was…nicer back then? O_O Strange concept though. =) If I write anything else related to SDK I'll send it to you ne! Thanks for R&Ring! 

On to the fic! 

Chapter 20: Poison 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_.

Kanryuu screamed as the bullet ripped through his leg, penetrating through flesh down to bone, shattering it into small pieces. His grip on Megumi loosened as he fell to the ground, clutching his bloody leg; using the moment to her own benefit, the Healer slipped under his grasp, sprinting quickly towards Sanosuke. In any other situation, she would have run from _both_ of the men, but intuition told her that Sanosuke truly harboured no harm towards her; how she knew was a totally different thing altogether, but she just _knew_. 

"You fucking bastard!" The drug lord snarled at the assassin, fear momentarily forgotten. 

"You mean this?" A small handgun that was tiny in contrast to Sanosuke's large glove lay in the middle of his palm, smoking slightly. "I'm more experienced at this than you are, old man." In the split second where his eyes had met Megumi's earlier, he had used his lightning quick reflexes to pull the gun out of the belt he had tucked it in before the mission, aiming for Kanryuu's kneecap and pulling the small trigger. Putting the safety back on the gun and tucking it back into his belt, he advanced towards the cowering man on the floor. 

"And besides, I'm not the one who pulled the dirty tricks first." Blades glinted in the light of the corridor near Kanryuu's trembling form. "It's people like you who we take extreme caution against." Flicking his eyes back to meet Megumi's for a second, he addressed her softly. "Please close your eyes; this is something that you shouldn't have to see." His attention turned back to the drug lord before he could see her reaction; cold fury radiated in his eyes. The muscles in his arm corded as he squeezed the hand-switch within his glove. 

"Your existence ends here." 

Blades of steel pierced through cloth and flesh with practiced ease, blood starting to stain the drug lord's sweat-soaked white shirt as Sanosuke shifted his hand to stab up into Kanryuu's heart. The man died as the blood entered his mouth, eyes rolling up in his head and head lolling to the side, body going limp around Sano's stab. The assassin retracted his claws from the man's body and wiped them on Kanryuu's shirt before sheathing them within the glove again. Touching the switch of the com-link, he spoke into it methodically. 

"Zanza here. Criminal eliminated and target found. Evacuation can commence." 

Kenshin's voice betrayed no emotion as he answered, even though he was inwardly sighing in relief, something he was sure the others were doing as well. "See you in five minutes." The com-link fizzed once before radio silence reigned. Sanosuke turned to the Healer who had been standing behind throughout the bloody event. 

Megumi stood there, somewhat entranced by Sanosuke's grace and agility at 'offing' Kanryuu. There was something mesmerizing about the way that he moved that Megumi couldn't seem to put her finger on, and she continued to stare at the spiky-haired assassin. Her voice was but a whisper. 

"Who _are_ you?" 

Sanosuke regarded her silently for two seconds before giving her an ambiguous answer that gave away nothing. "One of those who brings Heaven's Justice against those with heavy sins. And right now what I'm supposed to do is get you out of here, Takani Megumi." 

She started slightly before catching herself, eyes narrowing suspiciously at him. "How did you know my name?" 

"Does it matter? I'm here to save you and that's what I'm doing." The muscle in his eyebrow started to twitch slightly with annoyance; she was asking questions that he hoped to deal with only after they got back to headquarters, and even then, he had hoped that Kenshin and Kaoru would have been the ones to fill her in. 'So much for an easy mission, huh.' 

Megumi drew herself up proudly; her earlier fear seemed to have evaporated somehow now that she knew that he wasn't here to kill her, and the protective sarcastic barrier that she had made for herself over the years reared up to provoke him. "And what if I don't want to be saved?" 

He scoffed lightly and an eyebrow lifted itself under the cover of his mask. "You have got to be kidding me, lady. What the hell were you running for if you weren't trying to get away just now? If you would just drop the 'I-didn't-need-your-help-at-all' act, then we wouldn't be wasting time here." He was surprised at himself; why, at all times, especially now, was he arguing with their mission target? 'What the hell is going on here? Shit, this is _not_ helping at all!' 

Now it was _her_ turn to be indignant with his attitude. "_Excuse me?!_ I could have gotten out of here fine without your help at all, thank you very much! Who the hell would need help from a tori-atama like you--!" Megumi's hands clamped over her mouth as her eyes widened. 'Kami-sama! What possessed me to say stuff like that?! He's an assassin, for god's sake! And here I am arguing with him when he could just easily slash at me with those blades of his!' 

The mention of the much-disliked nickname made the proverbial vein in Sanosuke's forehead pop and he moved forward towards Megumi who started to back away. "Look who's talking, Megitsune." He growled under his breath. With a quick step of his feet and a swipe of his arm, he had slung her over his shoulder, carrying her like one would a sack of potatoes. An undignified squeal came from the woman's lips as the shock set in. Her brown eyes darkened slightly; saviour or no, she would exact her revenge NOW! Sanosuke immediately began to regret not having knocked her out first before slinging her over his shoulder as she began to tug at his hair _hard_. Still, he continued to make his way through the maze of the corridors as he cursed lightly underneath his breath every time the dull pain zinged through his head from her hard tugs at his hair. 

'Damnit, why the hell do I always end up with stuff like this?!' 

~*~ 

Kenshin turned first, followed by Kaoru and Soujirou simultaneously as they heard the sound of feet on the gravelly path. Sanosuke advanced from within the complex with what looked like…a woman? On his back. The look on his face screamed extreme annoyance and Kaoru's eyebrow lifted in amusement. _He sure has met his match ne, itoshii?_ Her voice made Kenshin smile slightly as he nodded back at her. The trio were glad that their colleague was unscathed from the encounter he had had with Kanryuu and were even more relieved that there was no sign of blood whatsoever from the gunshot that they had heard echo throughout the whole building. 

Soujirou spoke up, a small smile on his face as he nodded towards the wriggling woman slung across Sanosuke's back. "That's no way to treat a lady, Zanza." The grumpy assassin allowed his 'baggage's' feet to touch the ground as he grumbled to himself. She turned and glared at him the moment she could stand, and he glared right back at her. 

"Lady my foot!" He continued to gripe; their eyebrows rose, was he actually _arguing _with their mission target? 

"I've met men back in there," Megumi jabbed an angry finger back at the complex building. "Who knew better how to treat a lady than you would ever know in five lifetimes, tori-atama!" Their eyebrows rose even higher at the unexpected insult back at the tall assassin. 

His eyes sparked as he threw back a retort at her. "Oh?! Then why don't you go running back in there to join the rest of them, vixen? That's where you belong don't you!" He instantly regretted the words that came out of his mouth. Sanosuke barely had time to meet the warning glance that Kaoru gave him before a sharp slap was administered to his face, nearly taking off the mask that covered the top half of his face. 

He didn't know which was worse, the fact that she had slapped him because of his thoughtless remarks or the fact that the hand which had connected with his cheek seemed to carry an electric zing with it. Megumi was in a similar state of shock as she cradled her hand towards herself; her hand stung from where it had connected with his mask, but the strange electric tingle that she had felt when it had come into contact with his skin refused to go away, along with the strange familiarity that she seemed to have about it. 

Slightly apprehensive, she asked the only thing that her mind could think of at the moment. 

"Do I _know_ you?" Kaoru, Kenshin and Soujirou exchanged glances; could it be what they thought it was? 

Sanosuke was shocked to say the least. 'Gods, I _so_ do _NOT_ need this!' He glanced warily at her. "I've never met someone as violent as you before. Are you gonna slap me again?" As Megumi opened her mouth to answer, Kenshin interrupted. 

"That's enough. We've spent too much time here, and we need to leave now." The authority in his tone left to space for arguments. They had better things to do than to stand around listening to HalfSouls argue in the midst of a blood-drenched compound. He drew a piece of paper with the words 'Tenchuu' out from the pockets of his trench coat, placing it on a nearby body; Kaoru followed suit by placing a black rose atop it. The pair rose, their job done, ready to go home. 

A dark figure hidden within some of the foliage surrounding the compound readied his pipe, the poisonous dart within it already loaded. He put his mouth to the top of the blowpipe, readying his aim. Just a _little_ bit closer and his target would be in the clear. 

"Let's go." Kenshin and the others moved forward towards the gates away from the scene of carnage. The dark figure within the tree smiled sinisterly, putting all the force of his breath into the blowpipe; the small dart flew straight and true, but barely elicited but a small gasp from its target. Satisfied with himself, the figure melted back into the shadows away from the group of assassins. 

A feeling like a small pinprick stung Kaoru's neck, a small gasp released from her lips. The path in her view immediately seemed to go blurry, but the others walked on, rather oblivious to her mental state and fuzzy vision. Even her arm seemed to blur in front of her face as she reached out towards them before the poison took control over her limbs and she slumped to the ground unconscious. 

Kenshin froze slightly in his footsteps at the small sound of something falling to the ground behind him. His brow knotted for a second, then he realized that he couldn't feel Kaoru's mind at all. Alarmed, he turned back to see that his HalfSoul was slumped unconscious behind him. He pivoted in his steps, alerting the others that there was something wrong, drawing close to Kaoru's fallen form in seconds. The red head turned her over in his arms, gloved fingers drawing across her pale complexion. His eyes were wide violet as he spoke to her both vocally and mentally. "Bara." _Kaoru._ "Bara, are you all right?" _Kaoru, answer me please!_ His fingers at the back of her neck soon found the cause of her unconscious state, and his eyes flared amber angrily. By this time the others had crowded around the pair, concerned at what had happened. 

Pulling the dart from her neck, Kenshin hissed angrily. "She's been poisoned." His eyes darted to the surrounding foliage, and he cursed himself when he found the lingering aura of someone who had only been around moments earlier, but was far-gone now. 'If I get hold of the one who did this to her…!' Anger flared dangerously in his ki, causing the others to shy back slightly. Megumi, on the other hand, pushed Sanosuke away, moving towards Kaoru to check her condition. 

"Can I have a look at the dart please?" Glowing amber eyes flicked to the young doctor as she reached a hand out towards him for the dart. He placed the needle into her hand carefully so as not to prick her skin. She frowned as she dabbed some of the poison off the needle onto her finger, tasting it on her tongue. Her eyes widened in shock as recognition hit her. Megumi looked strained as she turned her eyes on the glowing amber ones. It was _not_ good news. 

"We need to get her somewhere safe where there's garnet and fool's blink is at once. The poison needs to be drained out of her system as soon as possible otherwise she could die." Sanosuke and Soujirou barely had time to let the enormity of the situation sink into their minds before Kenshin was standing once again with Kaoru scooped up into his arms, amber gaze afire. If the condition had not been so serious, Kenshin would have considered passing Kaoru over into Soujirou's care, before hunting down and exacting vengeance upon the one who had dared commit such an act against his HalfSoul. 'Not now,' he told himself. Giving both the men a quick glance and a strained look, he seemingly disappeared before their eyes with Kaoru. Megumi started to protest as Sanosuke pulled her up bridal style, but the serious look in his eyes stopped her. 

"Please, right now we need to get back as soon as possible; her life is in danger, and if anything happens to her, we'll never forgive ourselves. Please understand that we'll definitely need your abilities when we get back." She nodded mutely for once, allowing him to carry her as the wind swept around her. Sanosuke's feet barely touched the ground as he followed Soujirou's speeding steps back to the Black Dawn headquarters, heart heavy within his chest. 

'Kami-sama, please let her be alright!' 

~*~ 

Aoshi and Misao held each other tight within the circle of their arms, a brief comfort from the painful reality of the past and the world. The peaceful silence was shattered when the door was practically pounded down. Getting up quickly, the two spies approached the front door only to have it burst open moments later, and Kenshin practically flew in with an unconscious Kaoru in his arms, Soujirou and Sanosuke close behind them with another raven-haired woman. The calm countenance of an assassin-spy took over as Aoshi took in the situation. He walked around the sofa that Kenshin had placed Kaoru on. 

"What happened?" Sanosuke answered for Kenshin, who was absorbed in pulling off Kaoru's coat to feel the temperature of her skin. 

Navy blue eyes flicked to meet Sanosuke's dark brown as the spiky-haired man recounted what had happened earlier. "We were leaving the scene when a dart hit Kaoru. There must've been poison on the dart, according to Miss Doctor over here," he jerked a thumb in Megumi's direction. "And it needs to be purged, otherwise Kaoru could die." Kenshin's hand was on his throat in a flash, and his amber eyes burned fiercely. Sanosuke could only stare down at the shorter man in shock. 

"Don't say that. Kaoru won't die." The red head's voice was deceivingly soft but threatening. "Now make yourself useful, Sano." His grip left Sanosuke's throat and he returned to tending to Kaoru, Megumi moving beside Kenshin to help. The tall assassin fingered his neck where Kenshin's fingers had been pressed into earlier, gulping at the firm grip that the shorter assassin had had on his throat. It was at moments like this that he wished he didn't mouth off so much, but what was done had already been done. All he could do was try to repair it. 

"What herbs or stones do you need?" It was his way of making up for stupid words coming out of his mouth. Megumi's glance flicked to him for a moment before turning back to Kaoru, and she pressed a cold compress to the younger woman's head before addressing Sanosuke. "I need some garnet and fool's blink. I don't care how or where you'll be able to get it from, but if you don't get it in five minutes, her life will be forfeit." Her fingers hovered over Kaoru's throat pulse; just because she hadn't had a patient in five years didn't mean that she had lost the compassion or skills that a doctor had. 

Sanosuke nodded and left for the shed, Soujirou trailing the taller man as he glanced once more at his shivering twin on the couch before leaving through the open front door. Aoshi and Misao stood around helplessly, somewhat at a loss as to what they could do; Kenshin was wiping Kaoru's fevered brow as she shook from the poison, and Megumi was bustling around the kitchen, getting another cold compress ready. The okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu finally spoke. 

"Is there anything else that we can do?" The doctor shook her head in response. "The only thing we can do right now…is wait. I can't use my Healing ability on her until at least 80% of the poison is purged from her body." Her eyes were downcast. "I'm sorry." 

"Ms. Takani." Kenshin's voice made her turn her head back to the red haired assassin. She was startled to find that his face was almost the same colour as that of Kaoru's: a pale, ghostly white. "She's getting worse." As Kaoru's HalfSoul, he was, to some extent, feeling the same pain that she was feeling, but it didn't take a genius to know that what she was experiencing at the moment was probably ten times worse. The colour in her face had drained completely, and her shivering had increased; little incomprehensible phrases had come from her lips even as Kenshin tried to comfort her. In turn, Kenshin had started to sweat profusely himself, some of the effects of the poison carried over to him through his link with Kaoru, and for that he was glad; if he hadn't been there to carry some of the pain that she had been feeling, he was fairly sure that she would've been dead by now (1). 

The sound of the front door being closed drew the attention of Aoshi and Misao, and they turned to find Sanosuke and Soujirou there. It was no shock to see that Sanosuke was breathing heavily and sweating after undoubtedly the use of his telekinetic powers, but it _was_ a shock to see that the younger man's skin was drained of all colour as well. Kaoru's twin proceeded into the kitchen with the two jars, and had barely placed them on the shelf when his legs gave way beneath him. Aoshi hurried to his cousin's side (2). 

Soujirou rasped. "Kaoru…mind…" His eyes rolled up into his head and he fell unconscious. "Shit." The okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu found himself swearing; Kaoru's mental links with her twin and her HalfSoul seemed to be both a blessing and a curse; on one hand, it saved her life, but on the other, Kenshin and Soujirou were not left unscathed by it. Reaching for one of the cold compresses that lay on the kitchen table, he pressed it to the younger man's head. Aoshi's mind and heart were in turmoil as he tried to wake his cousin up. He grit his teeth as the sweat rolled off Soujirou. 'Damnit! I'm not losing either of you tonight!' A hand that held a red stone appeared in his line of sight. 

The lanky assassin looked up the hand to find that it was Megumi who was offering the semi-precious gem to him. "Put it into his mouth; it'll help stem some of the effects. (3)" Dropping the garnet into his palm, she returned to Kaoru and Kenshin. The fool's breath, which could have passed as dry seaweed, was wrapped around a large garnet stone as she pressed it into Kenshin's hand. Dark chocolate brown eyes met feverish amber as she gave instructions to him. 

"This needs to go into her mouth now. The poison will react to it and the stone will be eroded, so don't worry about whether she needs to swallow it or not. After the poison has been purged, I'll be able to heal the damage that may have been done to her muscles or bones by it, but her mind is another thing." The lady doctor paused for a second before continuing. "I won't be able to know how much of her mind is damaged until she wakes up again, and even then, it might be hard for her to do so. The effects of the poison are barely known, as it is new, and it was just put onto the black market." She looked at Kaoru. 

"The rest is up to her." 

Kenshin's arm tightened around the fabric of the couch; he realized that it could be none other than Enishi's doing, but how on he had been able to find them on a covert mission was beyond Kenshin's understanding. Now, Kenshin had no doubt that Enishi was _definitely_ still alive, and was going to toy with the most important person to him, just like he had done so many years ago with Tomoe. Easing Kaoru's lips apart, he popped the garnet stone into her mouth and drew her lips close again. Her sweat-drenched brow creased slightly at the motion, and she struggled slightly in Kenshin's arms before settling down again, but just as feverish as before. 

The seconds on the clock ticked by, then minutes. Kaoru's ragged breathing slowed to a more sedate pace, and some colour returned to her face. The paleness in Kenshin's skin also seemed to recede a little, and he allowed himself to relax. Soujirou's eyes were half-open, half-closed; Aoshi and Misao were crouched on either side of him. The garnet seemed to be taking effect on the poison. A few more minutes passed, then Megumi tapped Kenshin on the shoulder lightly and he nodded, moving back from the couch to give her some space. 

Her hands hovered above Kaoru's form, close to the skin, but never touching. Megumi's eyes closed, her brow furrowed as she pulled the source of her power to the surface. The others watched on in silent amazement as blue light surrounded the Healer's hands, then spread to Kaoru's body, seemingly wrapping it in 'blanket' of sorts. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the power continued to flow from her into Kaoru's body, knitting together injured muscle and bone. Someone dabbed at her forehead with a cloth and she inwardly thanked the person, but said nothing, for fear that it would break her concentration. 

More colour flowed back into Kaoru's skin, and Soujirou could finally get up and make his way towards his twin, promptly sitting down beside Kenshin. Ten more long, drawn out minutes passed, and the blue light faded away from Kaoru. Megumi moved away from the couch to allow Kenshin and Soujirou nearer to the unconscious Kaoru, only to find that she had backed up into a pair of legs. Blinking once, her gaze followed the pair of legs up, and she found that she was staring at Sanosuke, who was holding a cloth in one of his hands. She realized then that it was he who had helped dab the sweat away from her forehead earlier. 

Megumi smiled at him as she stood up. "Thank you." He gave a noncommittal shrug. "That's ok, I heard you the first time you said it." Her eyebrows shot up at the seemingly innocent comment; she had not said a _thing_ out loud (4). However, her mind had no time to ponder these things as she suddenly felt faint, a result of using her Healing powers. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her descent towards the floor, and the tingle of electricity that seemed to envelop her could only mean that those arms belonged to Sanosuke. 

"Hey, you ok?" His eyes were concerned as he looked down at her. "You want water or something? You look really pale." If Kenshin and the others had not been so concerned with Kaoru's condition, they would have noticed that Sanosuke was actually being _concerned_ about someone they had barely known for a few hours; something very un-Sano-like. Megumi shook her head, offering him a weak smile. "It's always like that. I get exhausted after I use my ability on a large scale." She allowed herself to lean into his chest. "I'm glad I was able to help, though." 

"Sheez, Megitsune, we're the ones who are indebted to you now." A rakish smile flitted across his lips. "Thanks for saving jou-chan. She means a lot to us, and you can't even begin to fathom how much she means to Kenshin." One hand left her waist to point at the red head by the couch. "He's been through hell and back, and if he loses someone important to him again," the assassin shook his head, "it'd be the last straw." 

"Is that what his name is?" Sleep was wrapping itself around her tired mind, but she needed to know something before she drifted off to la-la land. "And…what's yours? Your real name, I mean." 

"Sagara Sanosuke." Came the gruff but soft reply. "'Night, fox." Looping an arm below her knees, he picked her up bridal style once again, placing her on the other empty couch. Some unknown part of him felt like kissing the Healer on the forehead, but he squished the urge down; he had barely known her for less than a few hours, had saved her life, argued with her, gotten slapped by her, and now he wanted to kiss her?! It was hardly believable to his mind, but as fate would have it, it had indeed happened to him. Already he could hear some of her thoughts, and the tingle of electricity that Kaoru and Kenshin had talked about, characteristics that existed between HalfSouls. Yet, it didn't seem fair that she had seemingly popped out of nowhere and was making him feel this way. As luck would have it, his line of thoughts was soon cut off. 

Kaoru screamed. 

From the seemingly peaceful countenance that had been in her posture just moments earlier, she had started screaming; the screams were filled with fear and pain, and they echoed throughout the house. She struggled hard against Kenshin, who was all but straddling her body on the couch to keep her down. He gritted his teeth against the scream that would otherwise have come out of his own mouth as the black wave of pain washed over his mind as well. Tears were streaming out of Kaoru's blank half-open eyes; evidence that she was definitely _not_ awake, but was nevertheless suffering in whatever dream it was that she was in. 

The pain wasn't only limited to Kenshin, as they soon found out. Soujirou was clawing hard at his own arms, as if trying to get something out of his skin, and he, too was screaming. Aoshi forced his cousin down onto his back and pinned his arms down. Yet, still, he writhed on the floor and the screaming continued. 'Damnit!' Aoshi was getting panicky as Soujirou continued to writhe, going into something akin to an epileptic fit. 'If we don't do something soon, he could bite off his own tongue!' 

Soujirou was suddenly biting down on someone's arm, the screaming subsiding as his teeth drew blood from Misao's skin. The young spy had quickly rolled up her shirtsleeve thrusting the flesh of her arm into Soujirou's mouth so that he wouldn't end up biting his own tongue off; she had felt guilty earlier for not being able to do anything for either Kaoru or Soujirou, but now she was helping to stop the fit that Soujirou had fallen into. She bit her lip against the pain as blood continued to flow from her arm, and her turquoise eyes met Aoshi's dark worried ones. She flicked a thumbs-up at him with her free hand, telling him without words that she was alright. 

Kenshin breathed heavily as another wave of pain hit him hard, making him close his eyes momentarily. They re-opened again as the pain rolled off to reveal dark amber mingled with amethyst. Kaoru's teeth had bitten deep into Kenshin's palm when she had gone into a fit alike Soujirou's; trickles of his blood were on her lips, even as she relaxed again, the screaming over for now. Her eyes were still blank and half-open, and Kenshin made his decision to enter her dreams again. His eyes flicked to Megumi who was still asleep on the other couch; she had fallen into a deep sleep, and the screaming hadn't even woken her up one bit. Sanosuke was trying to calm the sleeping teenagers who had woken up to Kaoru's and Soujirou's screams. They were frightened, and wanted to know what was going on, as was to be expected; yet, at this moment, none of the adults could offer any answers. 

"I'm going into her mind." Kenshin addressed Aoshi who was the closest to him. "She's lost in there, somewhere, and I need to go in to pull her out." His eyes flashed amber as he pulled Kaoru up into a sitting position, one hand braced around her waist, while the other pulled her head into his neck. "Don't touch either of us until both of us wake. (5)" The taller assassin nodded as Kenshin turned back to Kaoru, and closing his eyes, dropped his mind shields, and dove into Kaoru's chaotic mind. 

"What's happening?" Yahiko demanded. "What's wrong with Kaoru and the kappa?" 

Sanosuke turned dark worried eyes to both Yahiko and Tsubame. "We don't know right now, but if you're worried about their health, then there's nothing to worry about." He glanced back at the still forms of Kenshin and Kaoru on the couch. "But if it's their minds that you're talking about, then that's something else. Kenshin's gone into Kaoru's mind to bring her back to us." 

Tears burned behind Tsubame's eyes; it seemed so ironic that the very people who had saved her had to go through so much pain. Her voice was tiny. 

"Will they be alright?" 

Sanosuke could only offer them a weak smile as he pulled the two teenagers into what he hoped was a reassuring hug. 

"We can only pray." 

Dictionary 

Zanza – Sano's assassin codename 

Bara – Kaoru's assassin codename. Her full codename is Kuro Bara, which means Black Rose. 

Tenchuu – Heaven's Justice 

Tori-atama – Rooster head 

Megitsune – vixen 

Kami-sama – God 

Jou-chan – literally 'Little Miss'. Sano's nickname for Kaoru. 

Notes: 

(1) Just like how HalfSouls can sense each others' emotions, they can also sense each others' pain. It carries over through the connection, so…ouch ouch and more ouch. However, it doesn't give the whole brunt of the pain to the other HalfSoul, but just gives a taste of it. Comprehend? 

(2) The twins have a mental link as well, don't forget that; just like HalfSouls, twins can also sense emotions and pain, and this proves through in this fic, and apparently, in real life as well. This is why Sou is experiencing (almost) as much pain as Kaoru is. The link that twins hold is also just slightly closer than the link between HalfSouls, so Sou would therefore experience more pain than Kenshin is. 

(3) Whee. Invented all of this stuff. Don't try this at home! 

(4) Dun-dun, all of you are proven correct! HalfSoul connection between Sano and Megumi is acting up. 

(5) While the minds are sort of um… 'absent', if anything happens to the bodies of the people whose minds are absent in the outside world, there could be dire consequences. 

A/N: Whee~ yet another cliffhanger ne ^^ Mwahahah~ as you can see, Kenshin and Kaoru aren't the only HalfSouls in this fic, and if you haven't already figured out by now, Megumi and Sano are HalfSouls too! Anyways, sorry for the long wait, and hope that you enjoyed this one! KxK fluff in the next chapter, as well as some angst! Thanks all for R&Ring! 


	22. Chapter 21: Lost and Found

Disclaimer: Ah, we've been through this enough. Kenshin = not mine, capish? Ran = not mine either. Therefore, RK and WK = not mine squared. See? Simple math. 

A/N: Whee, welcome back all ^^ XD It's time to ceeeelebraaaaate! Thanks to everyone who reviewed; NTK has now got over 300 reviews! *hugs everyone* Thank you thank you thank you! Glad to see ya'll again, and once again, thanks to everyone who R&Red. Must do some shameless self-advertising now, hehe *puts up a sign* Please, please, please go and have a look see at my new RK fic that I just put up recently, called **Haunted**. It's a supernatural romance thing, and hopefully, it won't be anywhere near as long as Need to Kill. NTK is still my primary fic, so don't worry about me leaving you people in the lurch and hanging off some evil cliff or something (XD although it would be mucho fun to do that! XD mwahahah~). So anyway, go have a lookie and see for yourself if you'd like that as much as you like this fic! ^^ 

Anyway, in this chapter, Kenshin enters Kaoru's mind to bring her back, only to find that she's in a rather sorry state of mind (if you'll excuse the bad pun). **Lots of angst, hints of insanity, gore and blood** here, you have been warned! This is a **dark** chapter! Rated **R**. Read at your own risk! OOCness abound. Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors in the later half of this chapter _ I was up until 4am last night typing it. 

Reviewers' Space! 

Linay – O_O OMG. ^^;; Lol, sorry for sounding so melodramatic, but I'm really flattered that you read my story! I really admire your writing style and how you can manage to keep your story so full of urm…story? ^^;; And I love how you express each character's emotions. Btw, congrats on winning the many awards at the RKRC; you certainly deserve them! Anyway, thanks so much for R&Ring, and hope that you'll find my fic interesting enough to read more! 

Kitty kat – Wow ^^ it's nice to hear that you think my fanfic is the best that you've ever read; glad that you're enjoying what you've read so far, and hope that you come back for more! 

Kouru22 – Ooh, you're Inu22's sister? ^^ Kewl! Thanks for reading my fic and hope you'll stay 'round for more! 

Asuka-chan2 – Haha ;) Well, you'll just have to wait and see then, won't you? ^^;; I'm a bit of a prick when it comes to giving out information about how the story will progress because sometimes I'm not even 50% sure where it'll go, so I can't really tell you anyway. XD Lol, sorry! Anyway, thanks for R&Ring! 

BitterSWEET-love – Lol, I'm glad to hear that you've been enjoying all the chapters so far. Chapter 19 was an absolute pain in the ass to write, and it took *FOREVER*! ^^;; You can't believe how relieved I was when I finally finished it. I think I wrote that chapter in one whole weekend, spending way over 24 hours on the computer. Fanfiction really is a killer to your social life :p not that I mind really. Anyways, thanks for R&Ring, and tadah! Here's the newest chapter. Enjoy! 

Holly – Thanks for R&Ring both this fic and Haunted! ^^ You deserve to have lots of cookies! 

Eeevee – Yeah, it *does* sound painful doesn't it? Kinda like a double-edged sword – saving someone else's life at the cost of your own pain or something like that. But if it really meant helping someone else out, then I don't think I'd mind all that much =) Yeah, good thing that Meg was there, otherwise Kenshin would probably have lost it completely again. ^^ Glad that you find her likeable, and thanks for R&Ring! See you in the next chapter! 

KeNsHiN – XD Yesh, yet another cliffhanger it is. I'm feeling just a *teeny* bit guilty for plunking two cliffhangers consecutively for two chapters, but ^^ 'tis fun! Glad that you still like this fic enough not to abandon it though! Yeah, 2 pairs of HalfSouls we do have! Nope, unfortunately (and probably fortunately for me! lol) Misao and Aoshi are not HalfSouls, but well, they do share their 'Shifter abilities. _ Writing up two pairs of HalfSouls is tough enough, let alone all three relationships at once _ oh well. Anyways, thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Aglaia102 - ^^ Kewl. I'm glad that you love it! XD Does wonders for writers like me. Well, here's the update and I hope it satisfies you! Thanks for R&Ring and thank *you* for reading! 

Baka-Ryu – Lol, yes, Sano and his blabber-mouthedness. 'Tis only to be expected though. Already, he's gotten off on the wrong foot with Meg, but well, it was kinda remedied huh? ^^ Ah, just wait 'til she wakes up. Kenshin is out to save the day! Never fear! =) Thanks for R&Ring and see you again next time! 

Rekka's Angel – Yep, Enishi's making more and more of an impact on their lives, however unfortunate it may be. =) Great evaluating skills you have there. Here's the next chapter and thanks for R&Ring! Ta for now! 

Migo – Ooh, new reviewer! =) Glad that you're liking what you've read so far, and thanks for R&Ring! Hope to see you 'round in chapters to come as well! 

Kaoru23 – w00t! ^^ Hey girl! 'Words from the worldly wise' huh? ^^ Much appreciated ;) Hyper at 1.10am? Don't worry, I've done way worse :p XD Yesh! Yet another cliffhanger! Lol, well, they *are* there to keep you hooked right? Hehe. Glad that you really enjoyed it and glad to hear that you enjoyed the other story too! XD Mwaha~ Thanks for R&Ring girl and see ya again in the next update! 

Punky1 - ^^ Thanks! I'm glad that you liked it! lol, I love supernatural stuff too XD That's why I use it so much! Addictive is it? ^^;; that's a good thing! Thanks so much for R&Ring and hope to see you in the next chapter too! 

Ruriko2 – Nope, not this one, the pre-fic to this is on hiatus. Ah, gomen about the paranormal stuff, but don't worry, it won't get anymore confusing than this, so take your time ne? Anyway, thanks for R&Ring, and hopefully I'll see you again in the next chapter! 

Shahrezad1 – Ah, I remember that scene well! XD Subaru and Kamui rock! Squee! Lol, fan-girlishness aside, yes I do know that scene that you're talking about. Even though I never really intended it to have anything to do with that, but now that you mention it, it sure seems pretty similar, huh? Well, for one thing, Kaoru's mind is nothing like that. XD Hah! Sano must know, after being told about HalfSouls so much by Kenshin and Kaoru. Ah…Meg, Meg, Meg ^^ 'twill be quite a roar when she discovers that it's really true! Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter then! 

DragonTamer9741 – Lol, ^^;; that's Sou-chan as always. He is a genius ne? Yesh, very helpful when studying. He's gonna help me make some Chocolate Rice Krispie Squares for my Charity Day thingy at school. XD He'll bring some over to you this trip to bribe you! Lol. Glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and lol, hope this chapter didn't take too long to come out! Thanks for R&Ring girl, and see you in the next chapter! *hugs* 

Asuka-chan2 - ^^ Happy to hear that you enjoyed the Sano and Meg fluff. ^^;; ah, gomen for taking forever to bring her into the fic, but well, she's around for good now. :p couldn't get rid of her even if I tried! Glad that you're enjoying the story too, and well, I try my best, as always! Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next chapter! 

Inu22 – I know what you're getting at, but well, since everybody in the anime refers to him as Kanryuu, I thought that I might as well just follow it. Thanks for R&Ring and see ya in the next chapter! 

Missaw – Nah, don't worry about the prologue thing. ;) Everyone will notice sooner or later! Lol. Wow, you really enjoyed this chapter huh? Glad to hear that! ^^ Always happy when my readers are happy. Yup yup yup, Meg and Sano are HalfSouls indeed (way more explosive than Oro-chan and Kaoru, I must say XD fiery combination indeed!), and I'll update ASAP! ^^ Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

Irksome one – Ehen ^^ Thanks for your compliments. Glad that you really enjoy reading it so much and hope that the rest of my chapters don't disappoint you then! Thanks for R&Ring and see you 'round in the next update! 

Aryanne – Ah, thankies. I wanted something significant as a symbol for Black Dawn, and then black roses came to mind. ;_; No, unfortunately, I never got to watch Daredevil _ they banned it! Grah, stupid censorship boards. Ooh, he really does that? Coo~ Glad that you like it though ^^ Thanks for R&Ring! 

The Girl Who Cried Oro - ;) Ah, Kenshin will save her! Lol, that sounds so…cliché. XD Never mind! Lol. Mm…hopefully they *will* put up a SDK category; I'm itching to see fics written by other SDK fans! XD Ooh, I just got book 22 of SDK during the week, and it rocks! *hugs book* Kyo is the bomb! ^^;;; sorry for getting all fangirlish on you, but it's just sooooo grr ^^ Anyway, enough of my nutty raving, and thanks so much for R&Ring once again! ^^ I must remember to read your fic again sometime soon ^^ do continue ne! I'll update ASAP, and I'll see you in the next update then! 

Flyinangel777 – ^^ Thank you! XD But it's the cliffhangers that make it fun! And never fear, I will update of course! ^^ Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter! 

CurlsofSerenity – Ooh, haven't seen you 'round in a bit! XD It gets even more brain numbing from here on, so hold on tight to that chair! Cliffies are an author's best friend and a reader's worst nightmare ^^;; Anyway, thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the chapters to come! 

Now…on to the fic! 

Chapter 21: Lost and Found 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " " 

Telepathy is in _italics_. 

Kaoru opened her eyes only to find that she was seemingly nowhere near where she had fainted at Takeda Kanryuu's lab. In fact, the only thing surrounding her was a blanketing darkness that seemed to have no end. Something seemed to quicken in her blood, and she found herself sweating profusely and her limbs feeling weak as she explored the black nothingness. Still, she continued to plod through the unending landscape; if she stayed here for too long, she knew that back in the real world her body would fall into a coma and she might never ever get back again. It was something that she had seen happen to a fellow telepath once, and the results were gruelling to say the least. Suffice to say that she didn't want to go through the same fate that he had. 

She didn't know how long she was doing just that: wandering around in the eternal darkness; was it one second, one minute, one hour, or had it been one thousand years? Time passed by differently when you were lost in the depths of your own mind; a prisoner bound within the fetters of time. The toll of her incessant wandering was beginning to show, and her steps grew slow and heavy; her limbs felt like lead, and her vision was beginning to cloud. Kaoru blinked, trying to clear the spots she was seeing from her line of sight, but to no avail. Her mind felt as if it was shutting itself down. Still, the desperation to find a way out of the limbo she was in fuelled her on, albeit slower than before. 

But then something seemed to shimmer in front of her sight, and she clutched at her arms painfully, watching warily as a red door appeared. Why on earth did life have to be so strange? It was always the mind that went bonkers when you were trapped within a dream or a coma, and things were not always what they seemed to look like at first. Kaoru herself had had plenty of experience. One hand wrapped around the red knob of the door, but she hesitated to turn it. Just because it had turned out of nowhere just before her body had threatened to give out didn't mean that it was her ticket to leaving this mind limbo. In fact, other worse things could be waiting for her on the other side of the door. 

She set her teeth, jaw taut as pain flashed through her body again, making her stumble slightly. Her thoughts were grim as she made up her mind, fingers tightening around the knob and turning it before pulling the door open; 'It's not like I have any choice, do I?' Kaoru took a deep breath, then stepped through. 

Kaoru blinked; her hand fell through empty air as the door disappeared behind her, the doorknob disappearing with it as well. She could do nothing but stare blankly around at her surroundings; it was definitely _not_ what she had suspected at all. For some unknown reason, the door had taken her back to the Black Dawn household, and she was currently standing in the hall, the kitchen in front of her while the stairs lay on the right, the living room to the left. The pain that had infused her body earlier in the black limbo had also disappeared, but she was still wary. Appearing back in her own home and having a plaguing pain disappear from her body all at the same time was more than just slightly suspicious to her. 

A creaking sound came from the stairs, and her head instantly snapped to the top of the stairs where the sound had come from, hair whipping hard into her cheek. There was nothing else she could do other than go to investigate the source of the sound; maybe there was some way of getting out of here if she found whatever it was? Kaoru's feet made no sound on the staircase as she moved stealthily to the top floor. Readying herself into a fighting stance in case there was anything that she needed to fight, she snuck a peak round the corner, and relaxed slightly when there was nothing there. 

The assassin stepped into the corridor, noticing that all the doors to the rooms were closed, and she was closely scrutinising the door to the room the Sanosuke and Yahiko shared. Then something red flashed in the corner of her eye, and when she turned her head towards it, she found the door to Kenshin's room was slightly ajar, and a sliver of light shone through the tiny space. Her eyes narrowed slightly; there was that sound again, the sound of something plopping to the ground, like water dripping or something. Kaoru's senses were practically screaming at her; she could sense that there was something wrong, but just couldn't seem to figure out what it was. The sounds intensified as she approached the door. Steeling herself for whatever it was that was causing the sound, she snap-kicked the door open, making it slam into the wall. 

She stepped inside. 

And she screamed. 

~*~ 

A scream made Kenshin stop abruptly in his tracks, his head twisting painfully towards the sound as his heart clenched tightly within his chest. 'Kaoru.' Was the only coherent thought. It echoed all around him, making the memory crystals in their combined minds flare a blood red before returning to their normal shimmering colours. Entering Kaoru's mind had been an easy task, but finding her _within_ the depths of her mind was harder than it looked. He had opened his eyes to find that he was indeed standing in Kaoru's mind after having pushed through the layers of mental shields; the crystals surrounding him more than confirmed that. His fingers itched to touch the shining orbs that held Kaoru's memories, but he suppressed the urge; that could come later, but right now he needed to find Kaoru before she actually lost her mind…wherever she was. 

He had completely no idea where Kaoru had gone; she was not to be found within the usual space of her mind that they often spent time in, and so he was left groping around for clues in the dark. Kenshin's fingers clenched and unclenched into fists, worry making him anxious for his beloved, getting more desperate and frustrated at the moment, but still unable to find where she was. Every time he started to move towards the sound of a previous scream, a new one started, and he could barely discern where it came from. His nails bit into the skin of his palms, indenting it with half-crescent imprints of his nails, close to drawing blood. He tried to reach her with their mental link desperately. _Kaoru, where are you?_

The reason why the red head was having so much trouble was because he was depending solely on the mental link that he had with Kaoru as HalfSouls. The last time, he had been able to find Kaoru easily by DreamWalking, because she had actually been asleep; this time, she was in a half-awake, half-asleep state, and there was no way he was going to force her unconscious just for the sake of getting into her mind to find her. He called out to her again, hoping that he could reach her somehow, that the poison hadn't deteriorated her mind yet. 

_Kaoru! Koishii, please answer me! Kaoru! _

Then he heard it. A small whimpering sound that sounded like someone crying. Kenshin pivoted around towards the sound, heart racing. _Kaoru?_ He prodded softly. Worry raced through his mind as he felt a deep sadness coming from her through their mental link; he started slightly and winced at the amount of pain that was coming through; there was no doubt that something _very_ distressing had occurred to make her this way. It was even worse than the time their mission had failed. 

The answer was soft, a broken whisper through the mind crystals. 

_Stop…please! Don't take them away from me! Give him back to me!_ The words came to him in between heart wrenching sobs. _…Please…give him back…_ His nails drew blood this time as they dug harder into his palms. What on earth was she talking about? Who was being taken away from her? Images flashed through his mind from Kaoru's. The worry he had been feeling earlier intensified; all he was getting her seemed to be filled with red liquid – blood, presumably – and he could feel sanity slipping slowly but surely away from his beloved. 

"Damnit." He cursed softly under his breath. He needed to find her and find her _soon_, otherwise the consequences would be dire. If he didn't hurry up, there would _be_ no Kaoru anymore. Kenshin could feel frustration building up within him; it had been a long time since he had felt any of these conflicting emotions, but it didn't make them any less intense or urgent. "There _has_ to be someway where I can get to her faster than this!" The sudden flash of insight showed itself to his mind. 'The silver cord!' He realized. It would definitely lead him to Kaoru. He berated himself silently; why hadn't he thought of it before? 

As if needing only to be prompted, what look like a piece of silver wire appeared in his hand. It was almost invisible to the human eye, but when you looked at it in a certain way, it showed up. Kenshin clutched the cord tightly; it was his only way towards finding Kaoru, and there would be no telling how he would be able to find her if he lost it. From the length that lay in his hands, the silver thread trailed off onto the floor and continued on into the darkness, and he followed the trail, moving along the silver cord as he walked. 

'Wait for me, Kaoru! I'll be there soon!' 

~*~ 

Sleepy chocolate brown eyes opened only to stare back at eyes that matched the same colour. Megumi started slightly, but was stopped by Sanosuke's calming hand on her forehead and she relaxed, remembering where she was. Turning her head to the other couch, she found Kenshin hovering above Kaoru's body, knees on either side of her legs, body propped up only by his arms. She frowned slightly. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought they were two statues; her eyes widened, and this time she bolted up suddenly, knocking her head into Sanosuke's chin. 

"Hey! That hurt!" The spiky-haired man protested, rubbing at his sore chin. "What was that for?" 

In response, she pointed towards Kaoru and Kenshin on the other couch. "What's happening to them? They look as if…they're frozen or something." She lifted her feet off the couch, approaching the pair on the other couch. Her hand had almost touched Kenshin's when Sanosuke's arm on hers made her look up at him. 

"Don't." He shook his head. 

Megumi felt a flash of indignation as she frowned at him. "What do you mean 'don't'? Both of them are my patients and I need to know what's happening to them! Now I can't even touch my patients?!" 

He sighed. "I didn't mean it that way, Megitsune. Let's just say that Kenshin isn't uh…really in his body right now." 

She was puzzled. "What do you mean? He's right there." Megumi obviously knew nothing about telepaths or HalfSouls, and Sanosuke scratched his head slightly, wondering how he would explain it to her. 

"Well, you see, Kaoru went into a fit after you fell asleep, and started screaming bloody murder, but the thing was that she wasn't awake. It obviously had something to do with the poison that was on the dart earlier, because the pain transmitted to both Kenshin and Sou as well." he inclined his head towards Kaoru's twin who seemed to have fallen into what looked like a restless sleep, Aoshi and Misao on either side of him. "So, to bring Kaoru back from whichever part of her mind she was lost in, Kenshin had to go directly into her mind to do that." His thumb jerked to the pair. Megumi was still rather confused. 

"So, what you're saying is that his soul left his own body to go into hers to bring her back? How does that work?" 

Sanosuke sighed; he had never figured that he'd have to explain so much technical stuff to someone before. "The thing is that Kenshin and Kaoru have what is called a HalfSoul connection. Which means that they're kinda made for each other, and each one can feel what the other is feeling. Anyway, they can also read each other's minds, and it's also possible for them to _go_ into each other's minds. Which is what Kenshin is doing right now. Before he 'left' he gave us strict instructions not to touch either him or Kaoru until both of the woke up." He stretched his arms behind his head. "See?" 

The Healer nodded her head silently, apparently deep in thought. She had never imagined that such things could exist; they were unexplainable by science. She smiled wryly to herself; wasn't her own Healing ability unexplainable by science? Sometimes the things that were strange were the most believable things. Her curiousity about why Kenshin and Kaoru looked as if in frozen motion was sated, but the thing about HalfSouls still intrigued her…as if it was something that she _had_ to know. 

As if it was a part of her. 

Megumi's eyes turned to the spiky-haired assassin again. 

"So. What about this HalfSoul connection thing you were talking about? Can you tell me more?" 

Two words formed in his mind. 

'Oh, shit.' 

"Well, uh, you see, it's like this…" 

~*~ 

With one hand, Kenshin clutched at the red doorknob, while the other held a firm grip on the silver cord that connected him to Kaoru. It disappeared under the door, and apparently, that was where he would find her. As he followed the silver trail, it had shortened more and more, taking him closer and closer to his HalfSoul. He took a deep breath, trying to steel his nerves hard so that he wouldn't be unprepared for whatever lay inside. The knob turned easily in his hand, and he walked in; the seemingly normal sight of the hall of the Black Dawn headquarters made him start slightly. However, his senses soon snapped backwards towards the door he had come through as it slammed itself shut, disintegrating into nothing, as if it had never been. 

His eyes narrowed, violet pupils rimmed with amber. Kenshin's gaze drifted up the staircase as the silver cord strained upwards; he no longer had any need to depend on the cord, for he could feel Kaoru's presence upstairs. Her sobs seemed to have died down, and this made him worry more. Anything could have happened to her. Sprinting up the stairs lightly and swiftly, he made no sound, only the muscles in his legs bunching and releasing to bring him closer to his beloved. The silver cord shortened again as he got closer to his destination, and he was slightly surprised to find that it led towards his room. Still, it was no time for questions, for the answer lay behind that particular door. He could almost feel the relief flood through his veins, displacing the worry. 

The red head put his hand on the door, and it creaked open slowly; a foreboding sound to his senses. His irises contracted in shock, eyes returning to wide violet; his hand falling from the door at the sight of the room. 

She didn't even acknowledge him as he stepped in. Kaoru was propped up against a wall, tearstains running down her cheeks and eyes open in a listless stare. Her lips were moving, but no words were coming out of them. Blood was smeared across her clothes and skin; her hands completely bloodied as if she'd soaked them into a puddle of the crimson liquid. He stood there in shock, could do nothing but stare at the state of his HalfSoul. A normally vibrant, cheerful woman, reduced to…a mere husk of herself…like a haunting copy of her. There, but not really _there_. 

His room was bigger than he remembered it had ever been. He looked at his feet, and realized that it _wasn't_ his room at all, but was the dojo that he had first saved her from when he first DreamWalked into her dream. Even though he wasn't one to be horrified at blood and bodies – he _was_ an assassin after all, he had seen more than enough – the corpses on the dojo floor made his stomach want to turn, and bile threatened to rise up in his throat. 

It wasn't so much the sight of the corpses that made him feel like retching; more like what had been done to them. Some of the bodies had been hacked to pieces; chunks of innards splattered all over the floor and blood sprayed over the once pristine white walls. Flesh had been ripped to shreds and there were a few headless bodies lying around, heads nowhere to be seen. As an assassin, he had only killed people with a single blow, giving them no lingering moments to die; even if they were filthy criminals, they were human after all, and if he did the same as they did in the act of killing them, then he was no better. Torture had never been his pleasure. There was no need to treat the dead in such a brutal and dishonourable manner. 

What unnerved him even more was that the features on the few faces left were indiscernible although the few elements of the broken bodies he could pick up upon were far too familiar for his liking. The squelch of the puddles of blood under his feet was a monstrosity to his ears as he made his way carefully over to his listless HalfSoul, avoiding the large pools of blood, bodies and flesh as much as he possibly could. It seemed as if it was a long journey, almost as if the gods were playing his games with him, and with every step he took towards Kaoru, she seemed to be further and further away from him. 

Finally he reached her after – how long had it been? Mere seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? – an unfathomable sense of time had passed, legs protesting at the uncountable distance he had walked. The red head crouched down beside her, gently touching one of her hands; so pale, so starkly white against the blood that stained it. 'Her hands are so cold.' He realized. 'So, so cold. As if it were winter.' He rubbed them slowly, trying to instil some form of warmth back into them. Still, it was as if he wasn't there; her countenance never changed, and she continued to stare off into space, lips moving soundlessly. He bit his lip hard drawing the coppery taste of blood, half in anger, half in desperation; how could a tiny bit of poison cause so much damage to the one he loved? 

"_Kaoru_," Kenshin spoke softly both mentally and vocally to her. It was a soothing caress to her tortured mind, and he desperately hoped that it would reach her; if he couldn't reach her, then no one else could, and Kaoru would be lost to him forever. "_Kaoru. Can you hear me? It's me, Kenshin. I'm here, right here. Can you hear me, Kaoru?"_

Her fingers tightened slightly around his, as if in recognition, but her eyes never slid to see him, her head never turned towards him. "Ken…shin…" He felt slightly hurt at the way she pronounced his name; as if she was saying it for the first time, testing it out on her tongue to see how it sounded, as if she never knew him at all. Berating himself mentally for the thought, he told himself that it was no time to be thinking of such matters right now; _Kaoru_ was what mattered. 

His free hand went to cup one of her cheeks, smearing the blood there, but turning her head gently so that her eyes met his. Blank azure eyes turned obsidian by sadness and loss met his gently but anguished violet rimmed with gold. Part of him wanted to reach out to her and tell her that everything was alright; the other half wanted to _murder_ whoever had been the one to blow the dart. He smiled a small wry upturn of his lips at her. 

"_Yes, koishii. That's my name; it's me and I'm right here. Can you see me? I'm right by your side." _He brushed her bangs away from her face, barely noticing his fingers had also been dyed dark crimson by the blood there. "_Come back to me Kaoru. Come back to us."_

"Come…back?" She whispered softly. She could remember nothing, see nothing but the black ridges of pain that rode through her bleak mind. Images of a man with amethyst eyes and a warm smile seemed to taunt her, but she couldn't seem to remember who it was. A deep sadness seemed to fill her, and she knew that he was important to her. But who was he? What was he to her? And go back where? "Go back where?" 

"_Back home, Kaoru. Back home where we belong. Where everyone is waiting for you. Do you remember them?" _The red head pulled her head into his shoulder, his eyes closed in sorrow as her hair brushed by his temple. Even though the blood marred her skin, the scent of jasmine that often lingered in her presence was kept clean, kept pure, unmixed with the scent of copperbloodfear, and he was thankful for that. A tear ran from his cheek onto hers, mingling onto the dry tear tracks that were on her face. 

"Remember?" More images filtered past her mind; a spiky-haired man with a rakish grin smiled at her; a young boy who could have passed as his younger brother was looking down at a bowl of rice, his eyes downcast; a blue-eyed man who was always smiling, even if the smile wasn't always true; another azure-eyed man with a small smile on his face as a bouncy teenager with a long braid and emerald eyes accompanied him; a young girl with large brown eyes and short hair. A hand came up towards her forehead as she grimaced; pain came along with the memories, and she had no names for the faces. "Who are they?" 

"_Our friends, koishii. Your brother, and your cousin as well. All of them are waiting for us. Waiting back home."_ His fingers brushed over her hair slowly as he rocked her slowly back and forth in a comforting embrace. "_So won't you come home with me? We miss you so much, koishii."_ Kenshin wanted to take the pain away from her, a pain from a memory that had been created by the poison, but he would only be able to do that if she let him into the particular memory; even at such a critical stage, he wouldn't just push into her privacy; it would have been too much like violating her.

"Home." The word sounded comforting on Kaoru's lips. Some of the light came back into her eyes; obsidian changing into a navy blue. But there was something that was keeping her here. Something that had caused all the hurt and pain and loss. Something had happened here in this place. Then her eyes caught sight of the blood and the bodies behind him and something clicked in her memory. 

She remembered. The tears fell again. 

"No!" She pushed him away hard and he was too surprised to do anything but stare in shock. "No!" She repeated, shaking her head wildly, ebony locks flying every which way. "I can't go home anymore! I can't! I can't!" Kaoru wrapped her arms around herself tightly as she sobbed. She looked up at him, eyes wide and frenzied with pain. 

"_Kaoru, please!"_ He reached a hand out to her. Just what the hell was going on?! Desperation was surging through him and he hated seeing her so scared, hated seeing her in so much pain. There was no way that she'd be willing to go back like this; he had to make her tell him so that she'd realize that there actually _was_ a place for her to go home to. _"Why can't you go home? Everyone's waiting for you, for us to go back! Let's go back koishii."_ The red head pleaded softly with her, willing her to come back to him. 

The bitter laugh that filtered out of her mouth scared him. "Because I _can't_! There's no home to go back to anymore! There's no one to go back to anymore!" Her words were becoming more choked with tears, and then her voice seemed to become tiny. "_He killed them_!" A voice choked with emotion. 

_"He killed them!"_ She shrieked, clawing at herself, nails biting into tender skin, red welts forming on them. 

'Kami-sama, why are you doing this to her!' He wanted to scream at the heavens; what had he done to the gods that made them spiteful enough to hurt his HalfSoul? He could stand it on more, and he threw himself at her, wrapping his arms tight around her, and pulling her hands away from herself so that she would stop inflicting pain on to her already battered mind and body. "_Stop it, Kaoru! You're hurting yourself!_" He shouted, still holding her close. She continued to sob hard into his chest, fingers digging hard into the flesh of his back as she cried; the pain was overwhelming, and she needed to find a way to release it. He hissed slightly in pain as her nails dug hard into the tender flesh. 

"But it hurts! It hurts so much! I can't go back there! I don't want to go back only to see them dead! I can't!" The front of his thin sweater was drenched with her tears. "He killed them right in front of my eyes; Yahiko, Sano, Aoshi, Misao, Sou, and he killed, _he killed Kenshin_!" She still hadn't recognized him yet; she still thought he was dead! He had to make her _see_ that he was still here with her, still alive, still waiting for her! 

He pulled away slightly from her, only to grip her shoulders tightly, and he made her face turn upwards towards him, holding her chin in a firm but gentle grip. Her eyes were shut tight against the pain, refusing to see anything that would just hurt her more. "Look at me Kaoru." He demanded, voice tight and low. She shook her head, tears scattering like raindrops; eyes remaining closed. "Open your eyes and **look at** **me, Kaoru**!" Steel had crept into his voice, desperation making him snap at her unintentionally; he hated himself for deliberately scaring her like this, but to get her back, it was the only way to do so. 

She finally opened her eyes, albeit slowly. Amber eyes continued to meet her gaze as he watched her blue eyes wide with fear and tears stare up at him, then shock and disbelief entered her gaze as one of her hands reached up to touch the skin of his cheek. "What do you see, Kaoru?" His voice was soft once again; he could tell by the ki in her aura and the look in her eyes that she recognized him. Her finger ran across his lips and he kissed it softly. 

"What do you see?" He repeated again, watching her watch him in wonder as her hands trailed over his skin, over the crimson locks of his hair as she seemed to regain some semblance of sanity. 

"Kenshin…" She whispered, really seeing him for the first time, really recognizing him for the first time. Soft violet-gold eyes looked down at her as her hands ran all over him; his skin, voice, hair, everything about him was so real…but she had seen…had seen… Her voice was hesitant. "Is it…really you?" Could it be that he was actually alive? Was he actually here with her? Actually holding her close to him, actually talking to her? Or was it just a dream, just a figment of her own imagination due to the bleak pain? 

He smiled warmly at her; she was back at long last, but it wasn't over yet. The hand holding her chin up left to stroke a finger across her cheek. "What does your heart tell you, koishii? Use your senses, use our connection. Am I really here? Do I actually exist? Tell me what your heart tells you, koishii." Her hands ran through his bangs slowly, dragging through the red mass of hair in wonder. She closed her eyes, using her senses to prod at him. The ki was definitely his, and it was his signature aura. But was it actually possible? Had he come back from the dead? 

Her azure eyes finally met his, but a tiny sliver of uncertainty was still in them. "My heart tells me it _is_ you, but I saw…with my eyes I saw…" She broke off, not wanting to relive the pain again, the pain that had been so real. Kenshin's smile widened; he was awfully relieved that she had come back to him, but if she still needed to verify that he was actually there, right in front of her, then so be it. 

His lips descended upon hers, gentle at first, suckling slowly at her lips as he watched her through half-lidded eyes. Her lips moved in response to his and her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her, and his arm wrapped around her, crushing her body to his so there was no space in between; he could feel her heart racing, and he was certain she could feel his. He made the kiss more intense, tilting her chin up with the other hand as his lips demanded more of hers, tongue moving into her mouth to tangle with hers. Kenshin's eyes turned completely amber as his hands moved up and down her back, her hands doing the same as she pulled at his hair. Breaking away from the kiss, he laid open-mouthed kisses against the skin of her neck, feeling the throbbing pulse of her heartbeat under his lips. 

"Kenshin," She whispered, and his lips returned to cover hers again, conveying all the pent-up emotions – desperation, love, passion – fuelling the intense kiss. Out of breath, they finally ended the kiss, but they didn't pull away from each other. Just like the time they had kissed for the first time in Kenshin's room, their foreheads rested against each other, breath mingling, eyes open and watching each other. A pink blush covered her cheeks as she rubbed her nose against his, smiling, overjoyed that he was actually real, actually there. 

He responded by planting a chaste kiss on her passion-swollen lips, whispering across them slowly. "Was that real enough for you?" The lazy half-lidded gaze made her feel like melting as she nodded silently. Kenshin drew his knees up, then pulled her inside his embrace, holding her tight against him as his cheek rested on her soft hair while she rested against his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long while, and the bloody room disintegrated around them, returning them to the surface depths of their minds. The blood disappeared from their clothes, unnoticed by the couple as they continued to take comfort from each other. A hand ran up and down her back slowly, making her feel sleepy as she held onto him like one would a lifeline. 

"Will you tell me what happened now?" He whispered lightly to her. "What made you forget? What was so painful that you would want to forget us? Forget me? I'm right here, koishii, and I'm not going anywhere. Didn't I tell you that I'd share your pain with you? Give me the pain, Kaoru. We'll make it through together." 

Her hands tightened in his hair as she spoke in a ghost-whisper. "It was…so real. I was walking and walking and walking for so long. And then I found this red door. The door opened, and it seemed to lead home, and there was no other way out of that dark place, so I went inside. But, something wasn't right. I heard a dripping sound from the upper floor, so I went to see." She gulped and he soothed her, rubbing a warm hand down her back. 

"It was coming from your room, so I went inside. But then… but then… _he_ was there, and I saw… I saw him kill you…all of you. It was…it was that man with white hair from my dream." She looked up at him, scared he would suddenly disappear. "It was so scary. There was…there was this look of insane, manic glee on his face, and I could do nothing but watch as his sword rose and fell against everyone. He _enjoyed_ killing." Tears started to build up in her eyes again, but he kissed them away softly. Kaoru smiled gratefully at him as she continued; he was here now, and there was nothing to be scared about. "I saw them scream, I saw the blood spray across the room. I saw _you_ fight against him, but he…he raised his hand at you and you flew back against the wall. Then suddenly he was in front of you and he…" She stopped. The sluggish pain was leaving her, and she relaxed slightly, Kenshin channelling the hurt away from her, shuddering slightly at the bloody memories. 'Enishi again.' He thought. Why did he always seem to be the root of all the problems they were going through? 

"He killed me." Kenshin finished for her. He closed his eyes guiltily; if only he had been there earlier, then she wouldn't have had to go through so much pain and suffering. "If only I'd been there earlier. Sumanu, Kaoru. Sumanu." The touch of her fingers under his chin made him look up at her. 

"Kenshin no baka. There you go again, blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault." She kissed him softly, blue eyes soft. "I'm just glad that you're alive. For a moment, I was lost, but you came, and you found me." Her arms wrapped tight against his neck as she tucked her head into the nook of his neck. "Thank you, Kenshin." 

"Now who's the baka?" He chuckled slightly at her; she always knew how to make him feel better. "Of course I'd come for you. I told you back then didn't I? That I'd walk to the ends of the earth to find you if you were ever lost. Anywhere you go Kaoru, I'll find you." He nuzzled her neck. "You can't get rid of me, ever!" Kenshin smiled jokingly. 

"Why would I ever want to get rid of you? I want you by my side always." She was serious though. "Say that you'll never leave me? Tell me that you won't just disappear? I…I'd die, inside, if that ever happened." 

He ran his hand through her ebony locks. "I'll never leave you, Kaoru. I'll be by your side, for always, forever." It didn't matter to him that fate could always pull a cruel joke over them; it almost always did, but he was resolved; he would be by Kaoru's side for now, forever, for always. "And we'll build that forever one day at a time." 

She nodded her head in mute silence; it was times like these when no words needed to be said, emotions and actions alone were enough to convey what they wanted to say. Fatigue blanketed her mind, making her sleepy and she tried to hide a yawn in Kenshin's chest. He stood up, pulling her up as well before hooking an arm below her knees and placing the other just below her breasts, and she squeaked, locking her arms tight around his neck for fear of falling. He grinned at her as he started to walk back to their reality, to the home that awaited them. 

"Let's go home, koishii." 

"Un!" 

~*~ 

"Hey! They're finally awake!" Yahiko's voice called the sleepy adults awake, and their eyes snapped open to find that Kenshin was moving off the couch to kneel on the floor beside it, and Kaoru was opening her eyes. It had almost been a half the day since Kenshin had entered Kaoru's mind; dawn was coming through the windows and lighting up the house. At some point during the night, they had feared for Kaoru and Kenshin, as well as Soujirou as the twins started screaming again, but Kenshin's firm orders kept them from touching the pair, and they breathed easily again only when the screaming had died down. 

Kaoru was sitting up, and rubbing her eyes, smiling at the sight of her family, relieved they were all alive. Kenshin had a similar look on his face as he regarded the others, still holding one of her hands in his. The group crowded the couple, talking all at once in relief that their friends and family were safe, asking numerous questions. 

"Kaoru-san! We were getting so worried!" Misao peered at her. 

"Damnit, jou-chan, don't scare us like that!" Sanosuke pulled her into a bear hug before releasing her. 

"Glad to have you back, Kaoru." Even Aoshi had a heartfelt relieved smile upon his face. 

"Kaoru-san! Thank goodness! I thought…I thought…!" Tsubame smiled happily, while wiping tears from her eyes. 

Soujirou was there as well, and he too pulled Kaoru into a hug, even though he looked very tired and harassed and there seemed to be blood on his lips. "You sure caused a big ruckus Kaoru. But we're all glad that you're back." 

Long raven coloured hair entered her vision and Kaoru blinked a few times before recognizing the woman as their retrieval target. Megumi smiled warmly at her, all while checking her temperature and pulse. "I'm glad that you're ok, Kaoru-san." She started to pull away, but then the younger woman held onto her hands, smiling gratefully up at her. 

"Iie, thank you Takani-san. Without your help, I wouldn't have survived." Kenshin had sent a mental message to her, and she was personally indebted to this woman whom they had saved, and who had in turn saved _her_ life. Kenshin bowed from his seat on the floor to Megumi. "We are in your debt, Takani-san." 

The doctor smiled at them. "Please, I am the one who should be thanking you for taking me out of that gods-cursed place." Already she liked the pair, especially Kaoru, who could still smile despite all the pain that she had gone through tonight, and she marvelled at Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship. The red head looked far more fatigued than he had been when he'd entered her mind, but even then, he'd had enough energy to be joking around with everyone else. It was clear to anyone with two eyes that the two were meant for each other. Was that what being a HalfSoul meant? Sanosuke had explained the HalfSoul concept to her, and it seemed as if some of the characteristics of being HalfSouls applied to both the spiky-man and her, and she wondered if they would actually ever have a relationship like Kenshin and Kaoru's. 

A light tap on her head made her look up at the man in question. "I can hear what's going on in your brain too, Megitsune. Is that what you want?" His dark eyes regarded her seriously; already he could feel something more than platonic between them. 

"Hmph!" She wasn't just going to fall for him like _that_ so easily! "Who would want to be with a baka tori-atama like you?" Her tone was teasing, so he would know she was actually joking, and not being sarcastic. 

"Oh yeah?" He grinned down at her, eyes holding a challenge. 

"Yeah!" She glared at him, albeit playfully. 

Aoshi's polite cough made them look back at the rest of the household, and they found that everyone was staring at them with knowing smiles on their faces, especially Kenshin and Kaoru. Sanosuke and Megumi turned red simultaneously as they watched them. The red head nodded at the spiky-haired assassin, as he drawled innocently. 

"I see…" 

"Oi, Kenshin, wait! It's not –-! I mean, no, it's not what you think!" His protests went unheard as they started chuckling at his red face. 

"You're just making it worse!" Megumi whispered out of the corner of her mouth. 

They started bickering like an old couple, which made them laugh more, but eventually the laughing riot died down, and Kenshin got up from his seat, gently cradling Kaoru into his arms. 

"As entertaining as it would be to watch you two argue for the whole day, Kaoru" She covered a yawn with her hand at this point, "and I are extremely tired and need to get some sleep." If they thought there was anything weird with Kenshin carrying Kaoru bridal style they said nothing…everyone that is…except Sanosuke. 

"Oh. Ok, _I see_ all right." The mischievous grin lit his face as he threw Kenshin's words back at him. The latter rolled his eyes at the comment as he went up the stairs towards his and Kaoru's room, laying her down on the open futon. He slipped under the covers with her, and she instinctively pulled him close, nuzzling her head into his neck; he wrapped his arms around her waist as he rested his chin at the top of her head. 

He pressed a kiss to her lips before closing his eyes, finally able to rest now that his beloved was back in his arms. 

"Oyasumi, Kaoru." She was already half-asleep as she muttered her reply. 

"Oyasumi, Kenshin."

The pair soon fell into a restful sleep, entwined in each others' arms; the night's events had only served to pull them closer together, the bond between them stronger than ever, thicker than blood or water, something eternal that would last forever. 

Something they had found even in the midst of bloodshed, loss and desperation. 

A bond to last forever. 

Dictionary 

Koishii – beloved. Affectionate term used by a man to address his wife/girlfriend 

Ki – aura 

Sumanu – male informal way of saying 'I'm sorry' 

Baka – idiot 

Un! – Yes 

Tori-atama – Rooster head 

Megitsune – vixen 

Kami-sama – God 

Jou-chan – literally 'Little Miss'. Sano's nickname for Kaoru. 

Oyasumi – Good night 

A/N: Phew! Finally! 12 pages this time, that was 3 pages more than the last chapter, and its 7102 words, if you really want to know. Mucho angst, but also fluff, no? Hope you pple enjoyed that chapter and I'll see you all again in the next update! If you like it, then R&R please! And ooh, please read my other story as well! Btw, I'll be really busy at school for the next week or so, so the next update will only be able to show up in about 2 weeks time. So... would it be too evil to ask for **340 reviews**? ^^ I need time to write, so please do review, ne?


	23. Chapter 22: Something Else

Disclaimer: We've been through this before. Nothing belongs to me except the ideas and writing of this story.

A/N: I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for such a late update. I did have my reasons though. For one thing, I had to reformat my whole computer, causing me to lose all my files, PLUS the half-written chapters that I had already done -_-. I thank everyone for all the reviews that have been written in, and I really appreciate them =) thanks everyone! Too bad I'm too lazy to answer them all right now. Lots of things have been going on in my life lately, and I lost the interest to write for a bit…but I still managed to spit this chapter out, even though its pretty short and not as exciting as the other chapters *sigh* University starts the week after, and I have to say, it's a very busy schedule, which will probably give me little time to relax, let alone write. The chapters will be slow-coming, and from here-on, I seriously have no idea how long it'll be till my next update. So, until then, hope you enjoy this. This one's rated R. Bit limey-ish :p

Chapter 22: Something Else

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " "

Telepathy is in _italics_

Soft breath tickled against her cheek and Kaoru frowned at the sensation on her face. Her mind was still hazy from sleep, clouded in layers of lethargy, the outside world all but dead to her sleepy brain. _Wake up, love._ Kenshin's voice cut through the layers and she grumbled an unintelligible response; much as she loved her HalfSoul's voice, he wasn't exactly helping her, since she wanted to sleep! She felt rather than heard the rumble of his chuckle through her back, where his chest was pressed up against. _Time to wake up, koishii. You've been sleeping for so long, it's more than enough sleep now._ The red haired assassin tried to coax his beloved awake. 

"'s too early." Kaoru grumbled, trying to squirm away from him so she could get some peace. The ordeal she had been put through had taken its toll on her, and she figured that sleep was the best way to get her energy back. Or at least, that was what her body was telling her to do.

Kenshin wouldn't take no for an answer though. Taking a few locks of her midnight black hair, he brushed the tips of it into her ear, tickling softly so one of her hands drew up to try to stop the irritation. The smile on his lips widened as he continued to do so relentlessly and she soon began to crack one annoyed eye open. "Are you ready to wake up now, koishii?" She ignored him and her eyelids slid close once again.

He frowned slightly. Apparently not, it seemed. Well, he would just have to take more drastic measures, wouldn't he? He shifted around in the futon that he shared with Kaoru so that his arms were upon either side of her, supported by his elbows. Kenshin hovered over her for a moment before his lips descended upon the alabaster flesh of her neck. 

The unexpected feel of his lips upon her neck woke her up more than a little bit, and she fought to keep her eyes from opening; HalfSoul or not, she would **not** give in to his games so easily. Kenshin smiled secretly to himself as he saw her reaction to him, small, but still there. If she _still_ wouldn't wake up, he had other things up his sleeve. Mischievous gold flecks formed in his amethyst eyes as his fingers slipped under the fabric of Kaoru's shirt while his lips moved upon the one ear not hidden within the pillows. His tongue slid into the little crevice of her ear, teasing at the pink skin lightly; barely touching but enough for the sensitive hairs within to give him a response which was reflected upon Kaoru. Blue eyes shot open to the unexpected new 'touch' and the almost erotic sensation that traced itself along her body. She couldn't help but give a small, almost inaudible groan, but Kenshin most certainly heard it from the telltale curve of his lips against her ear.

_ Will you wake up **now**, koishii?_ She could hear the laughter tingle through her mind; he was enjoying this far too much.

**_ Never!_** She returned with a devious grin and a playful shove at his chest.

_ Well, then…_ Kenshin let his weight drop onto her body, bringing their faces impossibly close together so that their noses were touching, their lips fleeting millimetres away from each other. He could feel her squirm beneath him, trying to pull herself out from under his deadweight, but still he kept still; hooded golden eyes watching her face as she turned a pretty pink, suddenly realizing that her squirming was just getting him more aroused. It was impossible not to feel his length pressing against her groin as he moved his hips against hers, and she couldn't suppress the moan that escaped her lips.

Kaoru watched as Kenshin's eyes seemed to flare a darker gold for a moment before returning to the hot amber gaze. Her cheeks turned red as the devious assassin fed her images of what he wanted to do to her; the knot of desire between her legs seemed to tighten impossibly so as he let his lips fall onto hers without warning, hot and demanding; Kaoru couldn't help but respond to her HalfSoul. She could hear the rustle of the blankets as one of Kenshin's hands left her hips and started to trace down, down to caress her legs; a fingertip tracing intrinsic patterns there, then moving slowly to her inner thighs before inching upwards slowly-

The door to their room slammed open and their heads snapped up to the sound of intrusion within their private world. Sanosuke stood there, head mussed in its normal 'rooster head' style as everyone called it, eyes slightly wide for a second before a knowing grin settled across his face. 

"So, Kenshin, finally making the moves on our jou-chan, are you?" He laughed and ducked the flying objects that were thrown his way by a sputtering red Kaoru who was only held back by a grinning Kenshin. 

"Sano, I don't think the word privacy is in your vocabulary," the redhead retorted, "If you would please excuse us?" 

Although Kenshin's tone held no underlying menace, the fire within his eyes told Sanosuke that if he didn't step out that instant, there would be hell to pay. The tall assassin raised an eyebrow before consenting to his request and shutting the door behind him. 

"Ooh…! I could just strangle Sanosuke right now! Why that little--!" Kaoru's face coloured again as Kenshin's arm tightened around her waist and he buried his face within her hair; lips pressed a soft kiss against her neck and she could feel the upturned smile of his mouth. 

He turned her around to face him, the lazy seductive smile never leaving his face as he sensed her heartbeat speed up and he pressed her to him. 

"Thinking of naughty thoughts were you koishii?" Kenshin's words whispered against her lips as she tugged his head downwards by his long red locks.

"Baka." Their lips melded together.

~*~

"…And that's the rough gist of what happened, Katsura-sama." Aoshi's voice filtered through the speakerphone on Katsura's table. The fatigue of not having slept for two whole nights carried through the phone line although he was unaware of it. The head of the Ishinshishi thrummed his fingers gently on the mahogany table as he heard Aoshi's report of what had happened during the team's mission to retrieve the Healer, Takani Megumi. The retrieval had gone well without a hitch…

_ Except_ for the fact that someone had targeted one of his most talented assassins without the rest of the team even _knowing_about it until she had been poisoned. It bothered him that the best of his assassins hadn't even noticed it at all, and it bothered him even more than _none_ of the team had figured it out until it was too late. The timely and successful retrieval of Takani Megumi had proved to be a godsend in disguise, although such an event could probably have been avoided if the mission had not taken place.

The other lucky thing that had saved Kamiya Kaoru's life was undoubtedly the HalfSoul link that she shared with Kenshin, and it was pretty obvious now that certain enemies knew that Kaoru was Kenshin's weakness, and was trying to revert him to that single-minded madness that he would certainly go through if Kaoru died. Katsura's eyes narrowed in thought.

No ** fucking** way would he let the enemy manipulate them.

It seemed as if Kenshin and Kaoru needed to be hidden away for the time being, and besides, they surely needed the rest after the painful ordeal that they had gone through according to what he had heard from Aoshi and Soujiro.

"Keep an eye on your surroundings as well as on Himura and Kamiya Kaoru. I'll call you back soon." He didn't wait for a reply and pressed the speakerphone button off. Katsura's dark brown eyes shifted to regard the gaze of the dangerous dark gold eyes - that held a spark of anger within – on the other side of the room.

"Your view on this, Saitou?" He knew the former assassin, now policeman was angry, although he didn't outwardly angry. The lanky policeman had good reason to be angry; his niece had been attacked and would most certainly have died if her HalfSoul, the Healer and her twin hadn't been there to help out. Even if the poison didn't kill her, her own mind would have, and Saitou was thankful to Kenshin for that (albeit grudgingly). He stood up straight against the wall that he had been leaning on when the news had arrived, moving towards the door.

"Give the kids a break. I'm off to see my niece and the chibi-gaki." The door clicked close behind him softly.

Katsura breathed a sigh of relief. It was settled then. 

Black Dawn was definitely getting a holiday.

~*~

Soujirou, Aoshi and Sanosuke turned their heads towards the sound of somebody, or rather some**bodies** coming down the stairs. There were collective sighs of relieve as the pair made their way down the stairs, smiling gently at each other, hand in hand. Kaoru's twin moved forward to envelop her in a hug that said it all.

_ Welcome back!_ She could hear the edges of his mind within hers as she returned the hug. Traces of frustration, fatigue and worry leaked through his tired mental shields and she realized that he hadn't slept for two whole nights while she, herself had been recovering from the mental ordeal. For that matter, neither Aoshi nor Sanosuke had slept as well; the dark circles under Sanosuke's and Aoshi's pale ghostly face told her that. Making a note to yell at them later for not taking care of themselves while she had been asleep, she _squeezed_ her twin tight in reprimand, making him squeak for breath.

_ It's good to be back._

~*~

His fist slammed hard on the mahogany table; the twinge of pain leapt up his arm but he barely felt it. The blood-red eyes flared angrily, furiousity against white hair and skin, his features twisted in unholy retribution. 

"**_What do you mean she's not dead?!_**" Enishi hissed angrily at the unfortunate subordinate who was in direct line of his wrath.

The man bowed, shoulders shaking visibly; cowering was a natural instinct before the psychopathic telepath who was prone to uncontrollable rage if something went wrong. And something _had_ gone wrong.

"Yu-yukishiro-sama…the girl, she has supposedly been cured s-s-sir." He stammered, afraid to look up at the white-haired devil and the hellish eyes.

Enishi's eyes seemed to burn a darker red as his rage flared higher. He grabbed the man by the hair, and angled a sharp silver dagger at his Adam's apple; the blade drew a thin line of blood across skin, a warning that could soon turn into something nasty.

The telepath bowed his head, spiky platinum fringe obscuring his eyes from the shaking man who feared moving under the line of the blade. Although Enishi's raving rages were terrifying, the soft silky threatening whisper was even more so. 

It was a death warrant.

"Cured?" Enishi whispered. "How exactly?" The edge of the dagger slid silently across his subordinate's skin, collecting cold sweat and blood.

"The…the Healer sir…and something to do with her mind, s-sir."

Red eyes narrowed in contemplation. 

"Too vague." 

Without warning the dagger was embedded into the man's throat as blood gurgled around it, the silver now crimson-red. His eyes went wide and rolled up into his head as Enishi walked away from the man who he had pinned to the wall like a moth in a glass collection. He, Yukishiro Enishi, had no use for such moronic idiots. 

He depressed the intercom button on the phone and spoke into it.

"Kanna, get someone in here to clean up this mess in my room." Turning away from the corpse on his wall, he looked outwards at the city of Tokyo, the magnificent view only obtained from the top of one of the highest skyscrapers in the city. His plans were going amiss and Enishi didn't like that at all.

Not at all.

A/N: Hrm…R&R as much as possible ne? It'll encourage me to write =) Domo~


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